The Empire's Blade
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: The Dark was all he ever knew. No one thought to show him the light until he found it on his own. Born in darkness, raised in shadow for all his life, will this blade rebel, turn on the empire he swore to protect, or will he remain loyal? Only time will tell. A fusion of Star Wars Rebels mixed with that of The Force Unleashed. Narutoxharem? Paring uncertain? VOTE!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just saw Rogue One again and I'm ready to riot! It really pulled at my heart strings and made me wonder about things. So when this request cropped up, I had to give it a go. I'm also going to go something with Rebels soon I think, so be sure and let me know what you think of that =D**

 **Also folks, I'm sad to say it...Carrie Fisher, and now her mother recently passed away after suffering a heart attack. May they rest in peace. The Force will be with them always and for all eternity. I decided to rewrite my usual author's note in honor of them and...well...**

 **Wow.**

 **I still can't believe they're gone.**

 **So when this request came, I decided to go for it. Now its going to be a bit unique. Think Star Wars Rebels mixed with elements of Force Unleashed. Not the second one, because while I played it, I considered that an utter bastardization that was way too short and we DO NOT SPEAK OF IT. So, to temper your expectations, yes, you CAN expect to see other jedi in this in addition to Kanan and the rest. Shaak Tii, Rahm Kota, etc. Whether they all survive, hmmm...**

 **...you'll have to sit back and enjoy the show to see.**

 **And if one wonders about Naruto's origins here, well...**

 **The opening quote here gives a hint as to what to expect here.**

 **Oh, and do try not to laugh too much, because this is going to be a WILD ride...**

 _"The only thing I am surrounded by is fear. And dead men."_

 _~Vader._

 **Steps of the Sith**

At long last, the sealing had been completed.

Minato gazed down at the wailing newborn in his arms and silently lamented what he'd done. What he'd been forced to do. Naruto, his child-his heir!-bawled long and loud to the heavens, and the kage couldn't help but to wonder if the boy was even desparing his fate. Perhaps he was. Even as he fought to keep the smile on his face he felt himself slipping, his spirit seeping out of his body as the Death God extracted its toll for the price of his heroism. He longed to say something to his son-anything-to comfort him somehow, but the words refused to come. For all his will and might, he simply couldn't stave off any longer.

He could only smile.

His wife Kushina lay in front of him, as they both had been pierced in the stomach protecting their son from one of the Kyuubi's claws. Even now she shed tears for their progeny, his name stitched ever-so-lovingly into the blankets covering him. He was warm. He was safe. Their chakra was there, inside him, to correct the seal should it ever fail. Minato took heart in that. In a sense, they were still with him. Still there. Still watching over him.

They coud not however, stifle his cries.

For all his resolve, he couldn't help but feel guilty at what he had done to his baby boy. He'd denied him a life of normalcy. No one would look at him the same after this night. He knew some people may dislike him, but he wanted to believe they would see him as the little hero he was. He had to. He must. To think otherwise was to die with regret and that was something he dare not do. In a sense, he'd taken two birds with a single stone by turning his son into a Jinchuuriki; he protected his village with one hand and gave his son a power to help fight against the masked man that had wrought this horrible fate with another-

Then, something strange occurred.

Perhaps it was some side effect of the seal gone wrong, or some other eldritch effect he didn't understand.

Whatever the case, it simply...happened.

Naruto, poor, little Naruto who'd been forced to bear a burden no one should, suddenly found himself surrounded by a strange, swirling vortex. Minato scarcely had time to see it before the bawling babe disappeared. Pop. Vanished, his mewling cries echoing away on the wind. Just like that. There was no warning-no precedent-no explanation for this sudden phenomenon. His son, and the blankets swadling him on the altar, were suddenly gone in a burst of golden energy, leaving nothing but empty air and distant sound behind. Then, not even that.

Minato's final thought was one of sheer incredulity.

 _'Okay. That...is...bullshit...!'_

The Shinigami claimed him and Kushina a heartbeat later, their expressions frozen in disebelief as their bodies fell lifeless and listless; their souls going to the shinigami before they so much as struck the ground. Their last breath was their son's name.

They would never see him again.

* * *

From his perch in the treeline, Obito stifled a furious shout.

 _Damnitall!_

His lone arm clenched and unclenched, fingers knotting against his palm with enough force to draw blood beneath the glove. It had all gone wrong. Wrong, wrong wrong _wrongwrongwrongwrong!_ He wanted to shout; to spit and snarl shriek and scream, but he held his silence. Something had gone wrong. Someone-something!-had interfered with him! He'd heard a woman's voice, a cheeky, _"Ohhh, I don't think so!"_ whispered in his ear-and then everything had been taken from him, his plot dismantled at the very last instant.

AGAIN!

Having made one last, desperate attempt to take the Kyuubi-rather, the host-he knew the fault lay with him, regardless of the unexpected interference. Furious with his old teacher, he had tried to grab the boy with his dojutsu and failed; his injuries and the outside intervention proving too much for him to properly grab hold of the whelp for anything more than a split second. Spirits, he didn't even know _where_ he was. He wasn't even entirely certain what'd happened. And if his mistake had somehow meddled with the seal, bungled it, somehow...released that energy...

Who knew where the boy might end up?

* * *

 **"NO!"**

The Kyuubi yowled at its new confines and slammed against its cage, dashing its face into the bars in anger. It too realized that something was wrong, and with every fiber of its being it fought to escape the strange fate befalling it. Jaws snapped at the bars of its cage, claws clanking harshly, but to no avail. Strange tethers of energy sank into its fur, pulling its power away, siphoning it-just as its Yin half had been. But this was no mere sapping of its strength. And it did not cease, pulling more and more of its might-its very hatred-from itself even as it struggle.

It roared helplessly as its chakra was ripped from it, its body becoming little mor than a shriveled version of itself.

Upon the lock of the cage, the piece of paper with the kanji for _seal_ on it flew off and a spiral lock replaced it, closing tightly. Furious and growing weaker by the moment, it did the only thing it could think to do. Perhaps the most _spiteful_ act it could commit. The large mass of chakra flew through the tiny boy's body and lit it an angry, ghastly red from within.

Warped it, changed it, altered it, even as space and time twisted around its host.

Then it was flung...

 _...somewhere else._

Straight into the arms of an Empire.

* * *

 _(...Meanwhile, in a Galaxy Far, Far Away...)_

* * *

If there was a hell in space, it was Mustafar.

A scorching lava world comprised of molten magma and a thin crust capable of giving way at any moment, this planet was raw death and despair on an almost primal level. Its very atmosphere was nearly poisonous in its own right; brimming as it did with noxious fumes threatening to choke any who lingered overlong...if a fiery death didn't claim them first. There was no good here-no semblance of kindness or generosity to be found. Only the most cruelly depraved individuals willingly dwelt here of their own volition, and those who escaped their grasp still shuddered at the nightmares. But some craved that darkness.

Everything here was steeped in the dark side.

It was a evil, a veritable living fire-pit, a world only sparsely populated, so corrupted that few dared venture below the clouds. For there was no light. Only dark. Still, Mustafar and its minerals were valuable to the Empire as a whole, and like so many other planets, it serve a purpose. Another infinitesimal cog in the machine. One did not simply venture here on a whim; even in the days of the Clone Wars the Separatists and the-then-Republic had chosen not to fight over this inhospitable world, and the darkness within.

Darth Vader found it oddly fitting, watching the lava writhe and churn from the throne of his fortress.

Watching the lava wind its way endless still felt the pain now, just as he had when he'd lost his duel to Obi-Wan on that fateful day.

This planet had stolen so much from him in the past. His life. His limbs. His strength. Padme. Even the promise of a family. But for all it had taken, Mustafar had _given_ Vader something in return. The death of Anakin Skywalker. He had risen from his ashes, reborn. Purpose. Focus. Will. Power personified. He was all of these things and more. Not a whiny brat who thought himself above the galaxy. _What a fool he was!_ Part of him wished he could return to the past if only to give the impudent brat a much needed thrashing. Skywalker thought he could change his destiny, make the world bend to his whims. Anakin would've raged and shrieked about this place, despising it and wanting nothing more than to be far from this place.

Vader knew better.

Though he _did_ hate this planet, despised it, loathed it to its very core, this place also granted him a strange, twisted peace. It served as a wellspring for his hatred, a reminder of his wrath even as he worked to hunt the remaining jedi to extinction. That he dwelt here was something of a blessing in disguise. So that he might never forget, never err, lest he slip. There could be no turning back after what he'd done; indeed, there was no longer anything to return to, and all this done by his own hand.

Thus it was here that he'd made his sanctum, recently constructed, for this purpose.

Unbound by the chains of the Jedi Order, unfettered by guilt or remorse, he was free to reach his potential. To fulfill his destiny. FOr he _would_ bring order and stability to the Empire even if he had to drag it, kicking and screaming. And when the opportunity presented itself he would take an apprentice of his own and _destroy_ his master for making him into the monster that he was today. It would not be a quick death. This Vader swore. He would take his time with the conniving Emperor, _relish_ the screams of Sidious as he extracted his revenge.

He could find purpose in that, at least.

Unbidden, his mind flicked back to the credo of the Sith themselves, the very words that guided his actions.

 _Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, he gained strength. Through strength, he gained power. Through power, so too, did he gain victory. Through victory his chains were broken._

And it was there, as he dwelt on the Sith and their chains, that everything changed.

"Lord Vader!"

The armored sith glanced up as a distressed voice intruded on his thoughts, momentarily nonplussed as a clone trooper darted into his inner sanctum. Fear radiated from the man in waves of palpable tension and he could see why; his pristine white armor lay covered in scorch marks, burned away entirely in places to expose raw, red flesh beneath. He walked-stumbled, really-with a noticeable limp, suggesting he was even more wounded than his armor allowed, and in a great deal of pain from those horrid burns. In short, it looked as though he'd either fallen into one of the lava streams or been horribly burned by someone or _something._

Vader sympathized. He knew all too well the agony of such things, watching the clone hurriedly abased himself and salute him.

 _"What is it, captain?"_

"We're under attack!" Even as the clone captain spoke a great quake shook the tower, threatening to send him stumbling away. Vader endured the tremor with ease, rooting himself in place with the Force even as he arched a withered eyebrow beneath the suit. A hand involuntarily formed a fist. His blood sang at the thought. A fight was just what he needed. Whomever was fool enough to attack him here in his home had no idea what they were in for.

 _"Do the rebels dare strike at me here?"_

"No, sir...it is a child!"

There was a silence.

 _...what?"_

"A child!" the captain exclaimed! "We have found a child! I can't explain it, but he's alive!"

Vader found himself suddenly and intensely grateful for his own mask; because it kept the captain from seeing the look of utter befuddlement he wore.

 _"Interesting. And you say he lives?"_ a dark hand gestured, beckoning. _"Bring him to me."_

Impossibly, the trooper looked like he wanted to shrink even further into his armor.

"W-W-We have tried, my lord...but my squad was obliterated to a man." At the deafening silence that filled the meditation chamber, he dared continue. "The boy is merely an infant-but he is impossible to approach! All of them were atomized the moment they came near! I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself, and I barely escaped...

Vader's curiosity found itself piqued.

 _"Explain."_

The captain visibly stiffened as the full weight of the Sith's gaze settled upon him, promising pain if he didn't respond promptly. "Its just that, sir; he's surrounded by a strange, well, an energy field of some sort-one that destroys or badly burns any who dare get close! We can't do anything to stop it!" He stiffened anxiously as the dark lord suddenly rose from the throne, his jet black form descending the stairs in a series of slow, heavy steps. Those black lenses fixed upon him with the burning intensity of a thousand suns, condemning him for his cowardice.

 _"Very well. I will see to the matter myself..._

Fear turned to relief in the Force as he swept past, clearing two steps at a time. As he made for the door and the chaos outside, his thoughts once more turned inward.

It was a shame, really.

He'd grown rather accustomed to Rex's unflinching resolve in the past, his refusal to back down, ever willing to fight against impossible odds. Not this _fear_ of the captains and lesser clones. He was still too new to them, a terror in black that most instinctively avoided. Even the commanders were wary of him, uncertain of what to think of this man who wielded a lightsaber like a jedi, yet clearly was not. What _would_ Rex think of him, if he were to see him now? Perhaps, he might yet find him and...no, that was irrelevant. A needless thought, one he dismissed immediately as he waved a hand towards the door controls.

He needn't have bothered.

Protected as he was by his suit, Vader did not feel the hot rush of Mustafar's atmosphere. Its searing air did not warm his scorched flesh, nor scorch his lungs. He took a moment to gaze up at the cloudy, ash-filled sky, and felt his wrath begin to burn anew. Yes. Anger was his strength. His focus. He followed the captain at a brisk pace for several minutes, not yet drawing his saber even when he beheld the ruined bodies of the clones. He simply continued on at his inevitable pace. This close he could hear something that of a strange whine, almost as if the air itself were trying to get away from something-

Scarce had he cleared the rise then a red lash of energy arced outward and all hell broke loose.

His lightsaber sprang to life like a genie from a bottle, the brilliant red blade manifesting itself in a flash and interposing itself between its master and the eerie scarlet whip. Vader glimpsed a strange flickery of red in his peripherals and then it was gone, batted back by his blade. Whatever it was, it was _red_ and it was terribly fast, forcing him to strain against it.

 _'What is this?!'_

Raw wrath spilled out, assaulting him with emotion.

Anger

Spite.

Hate.

 _Fear._

The latter so strong he felt it as if it were his own, a cold fist gripping his guts and squeezing. For a moment he froze, but only a moment. And in that moment,t he strange red energy struck. But Vader was prepared. He caught the tether on his blade and lashed out, cutting down sharply upon the red creature. Not with his blade, but the hilt, driving it sharply against the creature's head. That was all it took for the vicious tether to recoil violently from the blow. A moment's conflict and it was over, the strange presence cowed, retreating rapidly, the strange construct of energy vanishing to reveal the one beneath.

And Vader saw.

By the Force, how had he gotten _here?_

It was indeed an infant, seemingly only minutes old, wrapped in white cloth.

He saw him as much as he _felt_ him.

This was indeed the Force, or something so alike, so closely _in tune with it_ that it he could not tell the difference. That baffling red power...it both intrigued and unsettled him. Such strength in one so young! Such raw emotion! Whatever it was, he'd bested it. Now he had only to bring his saber down into the mewling babe, and he would be done with this...distraction. Couldn't he? Irritated, he shoved the guilt aside. He'd butchered unarmed younglings at the jedi temple without batting an eyelash. Surely this would be no different. So what was this hesitation?! A glimmer of Skywalker, perhaps? Was he truly that weak? This child was clearly a threat, and if he ever learned to master this power, then he would be a formidable one indeed.

Remarkably enough, the choice was made for him.

"Thanks for that, sir." the clone captain informed him, brisk marching up beside him. "I'll be sure to inform the Emperor of what happened here."

 **No.**

Vader made a split second decision.

 _"Captain."_ he replied. _"You will not inform him of this."_

The clone took a step back, abashed.

"My Lord? Surely you do not plan to-gah!

Whatever else he might've said died as the Dark Lord casually curled two fingers inward, forming a claw with his hand. The unfortunate clone captain had an instant to realize his mistake before the air left his lungs, as though forcibly squeezed out by an invisible fist. His neck followed a heartbeat later with an audible crack, his broken body crashed to the ground in a broken tangle of arms and legs; taking with him the precious secret he'd intended to report. Darth Vader did not not laugh at his demise. Instead he stood there quietly, stiffly, considering.

For the boy had stopped crying.

Now he looked up at him.

Without fear.

Through red lenses Vader beheld the name stitched into the thick clothing sheathing the boy, and his curiosity piqued.

 _Naruto._

What manner of name was that?

After another moment's consideration, Vader stretched out with the Force once more, taking hold of the captain's body and hoisting it into the air. The boy cooed quietly, fascinated by the display. Vader gestured with a dismissive flick of the wrist and the captain's corpse sailed through the air, landing with a splash into a nearby lava flow. It sank quickly. Within minutes nothing remained. The dark deed done, the Sith returned his gaze to the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes. To the boy who, suddenly, had no fear for him.

Something stirred in the blackened pit of his heart.

A child, here, with such power on Mustafar no less.

The very place where he'd lost everything.

Against all reason and logic, against his better judgement and having a _very bad feeling about this decision_ as a whole, the man that had once been Anakin Skywalker felt a touch of sympathy. No, this was too distant to truely be called sympathy. Pity, perhaps? Whatever the case, he reached down. The mewling infant did not protest his presence, nor the heat of the air, or even his bulky arm curling around him. He simply stared at him with those wide blue eyes, quietly peering up at him in mild curiosity.

Vader would've taken crying.

He would vastly _prefer_ crying any day.

But he didn't know what to do with this silence.

Then he realized why the boy had been so silent; registered the now _damp_ bundle in his arms. He paused, a scowl tugging at his features behind the mask. For a fleeting instant Vader honestly questioned his own sanity and wondered if he shouldn't just toss the babe into the lava and be done with it. Because the boy had soiled himself. Peed on him. HIM! A Dark Lord of the Sith! Why the unmitigated gall of that _little...!_

Not a heartbeat later, the little lad started laughing.

 _"I find your lack of fear disturbing."_ Darth Vader growled.

Impossibly, the boy only laughed ever harder, utterly delighted.

It seemed the Force truly possessed a twisted sense of humor, indeed.

Exhaling deeply, babe in his arms, he began the long trek back to his castle.

* * *

 _(...Several Years Later...)_

* * *

The Blade dwelt in darkness.

Every moment passed as an eternity, each second a sliver of infinity as he waited for the end to come. Deprived of all his critical senses sight, sound, smell, even the very sensation of touch itself. He was wholly alone within the void. Kneeling, the young man turned his head, silently on edge, awaiting the pivotal moment. He knew the attack would come, but not from where, and thus he waited. Even where he to open his eyes, he would see nothing but blackness and knew it to . Nothing at all.

There was nothing here.

Nothing...save the Force itself.

Even deprived of all else he still had his emotions, and he drew power from them. He felt nothing, saw nothing, yet he was aware of everything. This room was his home. He knew its every facet, ever aspect of it, even without the Force to aid him. The Blade knew and he saw, and in seeing, he was aware.

That high, vaunted ceiling overhead, from which an assassin droid might soundlessly drop.

The perilous floor beneath his very feet, capable of dropping away at any moment.

Electrified walls, waiting to deliver a powerful shock if he strayed too close.

Even the air itself was a trap, made thin by some machine to test him.

The Blade knew it all, and was was wholly prepared for it all.

Thanks to the Darkness.

 _Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory my chains are broken. The Force shall free me._

Even now, he still didn't entirely accept that credo. Hadn't given himself to it completely. Strength came from emotion, and emotion evolved into passion. Which led to strength and, eventually, victory. The very idea of suppressing his emotions as the jedi were rumored to have done was an alien one to him. Foreign and distasteful. No, he could not live without his emotions any more than they could him. That much he accepted. But could peace truly be a lie?

Was it?

His master claimed it was, yet he served the Emperor-and by definition the Empire itself-to maintain order and stability. Was that not an attempt to create peace? He also served the Empire, and in that way, hoped that he might in some small way repay the man to whom he owed everything. In that way, he found strength and purpose. He was Vader's Blade, the Blade of the Empire, his weapon, his apprentice. Only knowing his name by sheer happenstance, for it had been stitched into the blanket he'd been found in. Vader seldom called him it these days, but the Blade knew. He remembered.

Naruto.

He much rather preferred his title.

He understood he was different and apart from those known as the Inquisitors; they served their own grand purpose and he, his own. They did not answer to him, nor he them. If anything, the servants of the Emperor seemed to disdain him. Fear him. Sometimes he wondered if the Emperor himself was actually aware of him at all. Naruto knew not if there was some masterful deception at work here, if he was just a pawn in a game he didn't truly understand. In all honesty, he didn't care. He had a purpose here. He served the greater good through his emotions, even if it annoyed him a times-

The attack came without warning.

The Dark Side hissed a warning and the Blade jerked his head forward, nearly kissing the stone floor in his haste. Sensation came rushing back as a searing pain made itself known in the back of his neck; a far cry from what would have transpired had he not evaded in time. Even with his hands chained, he was not unarmed. Those who had the Force never were. In the instant that it took his opponent to raise their weapon, he'd found his footing and shattered his chains, spinning to face them.

In the next instant he _roared_ and lashed out with both hands splayed, funneling the full wrath of the dark side through his palms in a monumental effort.

Quite simply, he pushed.

A startled grunt greeted him as his opponent flew backward, as though launched from a canon.

"There," he grinned, "Did you like that?"

Light and sound returned suddenly, sharply, to the room. An angry, sharp squeal of sundered steel protesting vocally as a humanoid figure struck it and lay still. The Empire's Blade blinked swiftly, struggling to clear the spots from his vision as his eyes adjusted to the unexpected presence of the dim lightning, chest heaving from the abrupt exertion. Blue eyes flickering red. A heartbeat passed, and his attacker made no move to strike at him again, his body slumping slightly against the wall.

Then he rose.

This creature didn't even have eyes, not truly.

All black armor and leather menace, its towered over him, seeming to swallow the room in its sheer shadow. That angular, imposing helm leered down at him in stoic silence; as though daring him to object further. A low, rhythmic breathing arose from deep with the man's-or was it a machine?-chest, the sole sign of life within the cold creature's otherwise blank countenance. If he'd been at all injured by the vicious Force Push, he did little to show it. As ever, Naruto couldn't help but feel a touch of awe in his master's presence. Nothing seemed to harm him. He was an immutable pillar, utterly unshakable.

This was Darth Vader.

In a twisted sense of irony, he was the closest thing he had to a parent.

 _"Impressive."_ the dark lord rasped as he drew near, igniting his blade. _"Most impressive. But you are not a Sith yet. And you are still disrespectful."_

Naruto dropped to a knee, even as he hid an impudent grin.

"I blame my teacher."

Vader could've cut him down then and there.

But he didn't.

Oh, Naruto knew full well he was toeing a dangerous line when it came to his veiled barbs and jabs, but he also knew his limits. Which buttons to press...and not to press. Vader for instance, did not take kindly to being questioned in public. Nor did he tolerate outright acts of insubordination. Or being called "Father" for that matter. He had learned this lesson early in his youth and resolved never to repeat that mistake. Besides, he had an inkling of what was coming next, and he daren't speak up again for fear of changing the dark lord's mind.

"You were weak when I found you, but now, your hatred has become your strength. At last, the Dark Side is your ally."

A searing heat brushed his right shoulder, followed by his left.

"Rise, my apprentice."

Naruto did as he was bade.

Happily.

At last.

It felt...cleansing to finally hear the words. Freeing. As if a terrible weight had been lifted from his shoulders and replaced with a silken mantle of responsibility. Less noticeable perhaps, but by no means lighter. This was one that he was glad to accept.

"Your training is nearly complete." Vader informed him. "It is time for you to face your first true test."

Ah.

Naruto nearly sighed, then thought better of it.

He was to chase rebels, then.

They thought they were in the right, poor sods.

The Empire's Blade saw it the other way around; if one wanted to affect change, the best way to do so was from within. Not without. Rebellions only held weight so long as those behind them had the strength and will needed to spur them onward. From what little he'd seen and heard of them, these Rebels lacked that. They thought they could make things different, thought themselves the heroes when in reality, they were only painting themselves the villains in this conflict. He almost pitied them.

Almost.

What Vader said instead startled him, however.

 _"You will be sent to Felucia. It is believed they are sheltering a jedi known as Shaak Ti. You will capture her and bring her to me."_

Naruto started.

"You're...serious?"

Vader's helmet reflected no emotion.

 _"If you fail, Admiral Constantine will bombard the planet from orbit to ensure there are no survivors."_

A cold snake of fear coiled in Naruto's gut.

"Wait, bombard?!" he exclaimed, aghast. "Bombing them would just stiffen their resolve and kill innocents-

In that instant, he felt the faintest brush of invisible fingers against his windpipe.

Vader had never outright used the Force to choke him before

 _"That is why you will **not** fail. You will hunt the jedi down and bring her to me. Alive."_

Alive?

Vader had always been adamant in exterminating jedi. Yet he knew better than to question him. Still, Naruto found his peerless opinion of the his peer had been shaken. Glassing the planet. Vader had just discussed the idea of glassing a fucking planet as though it were of no concern to him. Surely the Empire didn't stand for that? Surely it had to be better than that...? No, it was because Vader trusted in him. That was the reason. The Jedi were evil, he'd told him this countless times, and they needed to be wiped out lest they spread their hateful teachings to the rest of the galaxy. He was in the right, here.

Wasn't he...?

"Yes, master."

In that instant, the Empire's Blade made a decision.

He would do as he'd been bade.

He would hunt her down.

His way.

By that decision alone, he changed the fate of the entire galaxy.

 **A/N: And there we are. Now, one might wonder how Naruto has the Force at all in this, or if he's simply a very skilled fighter. To answer your questions, Naruto DOES have some semblance of that good ol' chakra, but he possesses the Force through a twist in the seal. One might even say it opened him to it, though not entirely in a good way. The rules for his universe and that of "Star Wars" as a whole are radically**

 **I wanted to stick with the core concept that Naruto, as a whole, is a good person, no matter his upbringing. Yes, he can be angered, and corrupted somewhat, but pure evil? Don't think so. Look at what he dealt with as a boy! And he STILL turned out to be a somewhat decent-if silly-shinobi in the end. Of course, Star Wars is a whole different extreme. THIS Naruto has been told to use his emotions, to trust them. He has never been downtrodden, in any sense of the word, and as a result, he's very confident. But despite all his training, all the indoctrination, he doesn't like to hurt.**

 **Case in point, his argument against bombing Felucia.**

 **Yes, he's naive at times, but he genuinely believes that the Jedi are evil because its ALL HE HAS BEEN TOLD SINCE HE WAS A BABY. He knows the Empire itself is flawed, and wants to make up for those flaws by fixing it from within. So, no, despite the efforts of Vader and Palpatine alike, he isn't wholly corrupted. But when he gets mad, ohhhhh boy does Kurama slip out. I honestly pity any fool who pisses himself off that much, but I think we know just who might...**

 **Time will only tell if he sticks with it or joins the Rebellion.**

 **So in the Immortal Words of the Emperor himself...**

 **...yes, use your emotions! Give in! REVIEW!**

 **And of course, enjoy the preview!**

 **(Preview!)**

 _"Aren't you a bit...nice for an Inquisitor?"_

 _"That's slander." Naruto sniffed, extricating his blade from the corpse. "I like to think of myself as upstanding citizen of the Empire. Unlike you."_

 _"You just stabbed that officer."_

 _"Well, nobody's perfect. And he was an idiot. Really, I did the galaxy a favor."_

 **=D**


	2. Hello From the Dark Side

**A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! Thought I'd give YOU, dear readers, a little update present instead XD**

 **AND MAMA MIA THIS ENDED UP BEING A LONG ONE!**

 **OVER TEN THOOOOOOUSAND WORDS! WE COVER A LOT OF GROUND HERE!**

 **Okay, so I've gotten a TON of requests begging me to write a Rogue One story so, I'm going to write one, soon. Or, hey, Jyn might even show up in this. Don't worry about it, eh?**

 **Soooo, people are wondering about Naruto's age, here! He's in his late teens. Waaaaay older than Ezra, for any who are wondering. He's every bit the Naruto we know and love, just not QUITE as prank happy as his canon counterpart and more driven. Doesn't mean he won't enjoy a laugh every now and again or pause to question the methods of those he serves. He ain't no jedi, and Vader doesn't think of him as a Darth just yet, because he's un-blooded when it comes to killing a force-wielder.**

 **That's about to change.**

 **Now to answer questions and fan mail!**

 **Q: What can we expect to see in this story? You mentioned it'll include Rebels...**

 **A: Yes, this will include events from Rebels as well Force Unleashed.**

 **Q: I've got to ask, when does this take place?**

 **A: This chapter? After the first season, of Rebel's I'd say, but a bit before the second. Ergo, the Grand Inquisitor is dead.**

 **Q: Is Naruto more susceptible to visions than most due to his emotions?**

 **A: VERY. Due to his unusual strength in the Force as well as Kurama's presence, he's rather prone to them and that's something of a weakness in that he's uncertain where he'll end up and what he sees to be true or false. But ever in motion, the future is. Never certain. Always changing.**

 **Q: Are any clones still in service to the empire at this time?**

 **A: Aye, A few. You'll see one in this chapter, actually. An old friend from the past, a counterpart to Rex...**

 **Q: Will Naruto get his own squad of allies?**

 **A: Quite possibly, yes.**

 **Q: Is Naruto going to be serious in this?**

 **A: Define serious. He's been raised by a dark lord all his life with only minimal interaction with other people. His way of coping is with humor and snark. He wouldn't raise a hand against Vader unless given no other choice; because on some level he sees the man as his father, even if he knows better than to say it aloud. He likes to smile. To laugh. To live. He is, as a whole, courageous, ruthless, powerful, honest. I don't think him to be a very good liar, if only because he doesn't feel the need to. After all, they told him to take strength from his emotions and BOY does he.**

 **Q: Is the Emperor aware of Naruto?**

 **A: Completely. And he has plans for him. Plans Vader-and Naruto-are not yet aware of.** **He sees him as a tool to be used and manipulated, possibly even as a successor with his raw power, unbeknownst to Vader. Which means he's going to be an oily little snake to make certain he entraps Naruto. We'll get into that more next chapter.**

 **The opening quote here gives a hint as to what to expect here.**

 **Oh, and do try not to laugh too much, because this is going to be a WILD ride...**

 **...and yes, I fully credit the MASSIVELY POPULAR "Hello From the Dark Side" song for this title.**

 **And a heads up, initially, a portion of this chapter is told from the perspective of an old favorite of ours from the Clone Wars...**

 **...and a weeee little cameo from Skyrim in here, if one knows where to look. Whoever finds it first gets a story request of their choosing, on me!**

 **So with that, I hope you all have a lovely evening, curl up around the fire, and enjoy the next chapter in this little story! Stay safe out there guys and girls and I'll see you later!**

 _"What are you?"_

 _"Something...new."_

 _~a discussion with the Empire's Blade._

 **Hello From the Dark Side**

Commander Cody was besieged.

With every day spent on Kamino he found himself assaulted by unspeakable horrors. Nameless terrors which came both day and night, a continuous, ever shifting, fresh new hell that made his service in the Clone Wars look tame by comparison. All the ammunition in the world wouldn't make a dent in this foe, for it would simply rise again the next day. And should he fail in his task, he knew there would be no mercy for him. He would wish for death, because even that would be a preferable, a blessed release from this hell. Oh, his assignment wasn't something as fearsome as a legion of clankers stalking him down a dark corridor, or disarming a city-killing bomb, oh no, this task surmounted all others and could be summed up in a single world.

 _Paperwork._

The bane of bureaucrats everywhere had finally found him here on the rainy world of his birth and try as he might, it was simply impossible to escape its grasp. It didn't matter if it had all been digitized and converted to a handheld datapad, there was still an endless amount of the kriffing things! Even now as he gazed at it, the numbers seemed to scroll endlessly away before him, stretching on and on...

If it wasn't paperwork, it was a new recruit getting smart. If it wasn't a recruit, then it was something else. Always something these days.

"Bah, to hell with it."

Pushing away the infuriating datapad and its infinite list of forms, the aging clone rose from behind his desk and cracked his back. Even that slight motion brought pain, however slight. That worried Cody. It seemed not so long ago he could have easily run laps around half the recruits on Kamino. Now? He had to push himself near and occasionally even beyond his limits to beat them. He was still better than half the graduating class by leaps and bounds, but the gap was shrinking every year, the dogs of age hounding him with every step. Unbidden, his fingers brushed his chin, bristling slightly at the coarse patch of hair there.

A beard.

He was growing a beard.

More of a grey stubble really, but it still grated all the same.

In the army, he never would've allowed himself to grow such a thing.

For all his arguments to the contrary, he was growing _old_ at a starling rate.

A low growl fled from his mouth, his jaw clenching tight in quiet frustration at this thought.

He shouldn't be _here_ at all, he should be out there on the front lines, taking the fight to the Rebellion. Not trapped here with the whelps! Ironically, there had been a time when he'd wished for nothing more than this-an end to the endless battles of the clone wars. A life of peace.

Now?

This endless paper-pushing made him long to pick up a blaster and get back into the thick of things. Before, when the Jedi were on the side of the Republic.

Before the Empire.

Before Order Sixty-Six.

Before so, _so_ many deaths...

Now, as one of the few clones still in active service-if you could call it that-he often found himself regulated to training the next generation. These so-called "Stormtroopers" disgusted him. For all his efforts, they were all of them piss-poorly-trained sods who couldn't hit a damn target. Proper clones would've put them through their paces alright, but alas, there were so _few_ now. He felt lost, adrift, longing for the glory days when he could simply _shoot_ his problems rather than be forced into an endless dance with paperwork without his armor, without...

As if to mock that unfinished thought, his comlink chose that moment to chirp.

 _'Sithspit, what is it this time...?'_

Snatching it off his belt, the aging officer growled into it.

"What is it?" he all but bit out the word, fighting a hiss.

 _"Hey, old man."_ a rough voice greeted him. _"Hope you don't mind me dropping in unannounced. Wanted it to be a surprise."_

Cody blinked, taken aback.

He _knew_ that voice.

It couldn't be.

Could it?

"Who is this?" he croaked in disbelief. "How did you get this frequency?"

 _"Simple."_ came the chipper reply. _"Look outside."_

Distracted by the abrupt suggestion Cody shut down his comlink and turned his head, directing his gaze to the nearby viewport. One of the few perks of his new station allowed him an office with a view. Not that Kamino had much of one, especially in the rainy season. As every the perpetually stormy horizon made it nearly impossible to see more than a few meters.

It was enough.

Lightning howled and a dark shape cut through the raging skies, making for a nearby landing pad. Abruptly pulled a sharp turn, spinning into a chaotic flyby that carried it perilously close to Cody's window. For a fleeting moment he actually thought the pilot was going to ram headlong into the side of the building, but at the last second it veered off and circled around engines screaming from the strain. Then, as he looked on in quiet and bemused disbelief, the angular craft coasted neatly to a halt on the very docking bay it had initially angled for.

Cody exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Well, that settled it.

No one else flew that recklessly.

"Well, well," he murmured as he made for the exit, "I'll be damned. The kid actually came back."

The whitewashed walls of the training facility registered as little more than a blur as he hastened down the halls. So eager was he to make it to the landing zone that he didn't even bother to be polite to those he passed in the corridors. New recruits and Kaminoans were each elbowed aside in equal measure, shoved away like so much chaff from wheat. Oh, he was certain there would be hell to pay for this later but at this very moment, Cody simply didn't give two credits about what the people of Tipoca city thought of him right now.

There was Nala Se now, looking like she very much wanted to talk with him.

Well, the damn woman would just have to wait now, wouldn't she?

Cody shouldered her out of the way with grim pleasure.

"Out of my way, long neck!"

"Impudent oaf!" she shrilled over her shoulder.

He was far too thrilled to let the woman's biting retort bother him today, not even pausing to acknowledge the spindly researcher and the imprecations she hurled at his retreating back. By the time her curses had faded he'd reached the precipice of the landing zone, thinking only to pause before those great transparent doors when he recognized the intensity of the storm outside.

Even from this distance however, he recognized the make and model of the ship.

The _Fire's Shadow_ was a heavily modified imperial frigate. And by frigate, Cody meant it looked as though someone had taken the sharp, overarching lines of traditional craft and visibly enhanced them, sharpened those vicious looking edges and molded them into a wedge-shaped fighter rather resembling of a curved dagger. If said dagger were bristling with proton torpedoes, turbolasers, and capable of staffing a crew in the upward of a dozen. It was a ship that could slip in and out of systems undetected, yet also capable of holding its own in a firefight.

He knew this particular craft well, just as he knew its pilot by that voice, even if the years had changed him.

After all, he had lived here, for a time.

Still, he hadn't seen him in _years._

In full breath of the storm he watched the ramp descend, a hooded figure striding out into the rain.

Standing at attention, the aging clone nearly saluted, old instinct compelling him. He narrowly caught himself at the last instant and immediately cursed himself for the slip-trying to ignore the quiet creak in his joints, the ache in his lungs. Another insufferable reminder of his age.

Surely he wasn't _that_ old...?

The door chose that moment to swoosh open, revealing the very object of his thoughts.

Still, age or no, Cody found he almost didn't recognize the stranger coming in from the gloom.

He remembered a boy who could barely meet his gaze, a sniveling youth dumped at his feet by Lord Vader. Train him, he'd said. Teach him to fight like a soldier. So he had. He'd only spent a few months on Kamino before the Sith thought better of his decision, spiriting him away to never be seen again. _That_ boy had been little more than a raw recruit before he'd left Kamino, stubborn and defiant. Armed with peerless potential perhaps, but untrained. The lad had been hurting even then and Cody had done his best to try and provide what little comfort he could for the stubborn, argumentative child.

The young man standing before him now was none of those things.

Throwing back his hood, confident blue eyes blazed out at him from that familiar, whiskered face. As Cody met his gaze, those eerie orbs seemed nearly gold for a fleeting heartbeat, only to pass as he looked at the boy head on. No-not a boy, he reminded himself. He'd traded in the dirty rags of his youth for a sweeping black cloak not unlike that of his master, but that was where the resemblance ended. Cody found he was rather glad of it, for some strange reason he could not quite bring himself to understand, but relieved all the same.

He was his own person.

Rather than copy the dark lord's imposing and towering suit, the apprentice had instead opted for light armor rather reminiscent of Cody's own days in the Clone Wars, albeit heavily modified. The right pauldron seemed to gleam a strange silver color but beyond that the rest were stained the darkest of ebony, right down to the pristine boots. Those twin hilts clipped at his belt served as a stark reminder that, whatever he'd been once, he was now a warrior, trained in the ways of the Force. Well, at least he wasn't wielding that absurd spinning gizmo favored by those damn Inquisitors. The thought of those ghastly beings brought forth a chill to Cody's old bones. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if the boy had become just like them, cold and indifferent, taking delight in the suffering of others.

"Cody!"

No, that smile was all Naruto.

 _"Oomph!"_

The old clone croaked in surprise as the robed stranger darted forward as near explosive speed; then he found himself caught up in a crushing bear hug and lifted upright, arms pinned at his sides. Cody grunted and the young sith must've taken that as a bad sign; because he quickly released the aging commander and lowered him back to the floor. Though not without a wry grin of his own.

"Damn." the blond laughed, pulling away. "You got old."

Taking a moment to massage his aching ribs, Cody shot him a look.

"So did you, kid." he managed eloquently. "I really wasn't expecting you."

Naruto's face screwed up at that, as though he'd bitten into something incredibly sour.

"Thought I told you to stop calling me a kid, Cody."

"Sorry. Old habits."

"Just like you."

 _"Hey!"_

Despite himself, Cody laughed.

It felt good to trade barbs with the boy again, even if he was no longer a child. Reminded him of the old glory days, it did. Back when his loyalty-his faith-to the Republic, to the Empire, was unshakable. Before gnawing guilt and questions had left him a hollow shell of a man. By the void it felt good to actually talk to someone again, someone who understood. Spirits, he'd gotten tall!

"Well, don't just stand there." Wrapping an arm around the young man's shoulder, he ushered him inside. "You're soaking wet. Let's get a cup of caff and talk."

Naruto, to his credit, didn't decline. He merely inclined his head in acknowledgement and did as he was bade, trailing after him to the mess.

Cody's mad dash to the landing pad had cleared the halls of traffic somewhat, those few they passed in the halls gave them a wide berth. Some, on occasion, paused to stare. He wasn't under the illusion that they were completely wary of him, rather, the subtle presence of the robed, armored warrior beside him and the noticeable hilts at his belt. He wondered if they thought him a Jedi. Naruto of course, wasn't. The Jedi were gone. A faded memory in the eye of the galaxy. That thought brought with it a fresh pang of guilt. It had been so easy to follow the order at the time, but afterward doubt nagged at him. Good soldiers followed orders, and he'd done so without thought when Order Sixty-Six was handed down. Obeyed, without hesitation, but at what cost? It haunted him.

It still did.

They passed another batch of stormtroopers just as they reached the doors leading to the cafeteria. Most of them were wise enough to keep them at arms length. Sadly, not all held that nugget of wisdom. One, a dark-haired, angular faced man with a prominent brow and piercing grey eyes took it upon himself to deliberately jostle shoulders with the force-wielder, stopping him cold.

"Watch it."

He knew this one, just as he knew the rest, Mercer Frey, the son of an important bureaucrat.

Naruto's blue eyes burned gold and Cody froze.

He half-expected the blond to snap; to lash out at Mercer for such blatant disrespect; to cut him into pieces with a lightsaber in recompense for his temerity. The very air around him suddenly felt charged, ready to lash out at the slightest provocation. Mercer must've realized it too, because the brash trooper paled and drew back half a step, his tan visage going pale as the Sith turned to face him...

...and smiled, stepping aside.

 _"Have a pleasant day."_

Mercer all but bolted from the mess.

Naruto took all this in with a weather eye.

"Not very smart, that one." He remarked as they faded out of earshot.

Cody exhaled a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.

"I'm surprised you didn't kill him, honestly."

"Hmm? Kill him? Why?" Naruto laughed, as though the idea had only _just_ occurred to him. "Cody, if I cut down every soul who offended me, everyone who possibly bore me ill will, the galaxy would be an empty place indeed. No," he shook his head watching Mercer's rapidly retreating form recede into the distance, "There's no need for it. I think he'll carry this moment with him for the rest of his life." There was something strangely broken about that smile, but before Cody could think to question it, the look vanished. "Besides," he continued with an air of faux joviality, "Its not like they're _all_ that rotten."

The commander made a squelching sound as they each retrieved a cup of caff from the mess sergeant.

"Well, not as rotten as Mercer, but...

Naruto arched an eyebrow.

"That bad?"

 _"That bad."_

"Well," the apprentice shrugged as he pulled up a seat across a nearby table, "You can hand a man a blaster, but you can't make him aim."

"True." Cody relented, sliding into the seat opposite him, mug in hand. "So, what brings you here?"

"I'm here for you, actually." Naruto confessed, lowering his voice. "I was hoping you could help me with something."

"Anything, kid. Just say the word."

The slightest beat of silence passed between them, and the whiskered warrior seemed to shrink in on himself.

"Vader has assigned me to capture a Jedi." he admittedly quietly. "And I'm...afraid."

A cold dagger of dread stabbed Cody in the heart.

 _Jedi!_

He'd been under the impression that they were all but extinct, all slain in the great purge. The idea that one still lived roused unpleasant, worrying feelings in his heart. And the kid was going to capture one. He wasn't sure how that made him feel. Relief that they still lived? Relief that they were being taken alive? Or shame for what he viewed as his own traitorous actions on that day? Try as he might, he couldn't find an answer.

"Are you sure this is the place to talk about this?"

"Its the perfect place." the blond dismissed his concerns with a wave. "The noise masks everything. But look, I'll be honest. I need you on this. And before you ask, Vader never said I couldn't take on my own squad. He didn't even give me a time limit to complete this mission. Bastard hogs the 501st to himself, though...

...so, you're looking for backup" Cody finished, sighing.

"Clones are better than stormtroopers any day." the blond agreed readily. "I've never fought a jedi before. I'm not so stupid as to assume they'll play fair."

Poor kid.

If only he knew the truth.

Jedi were honorable beings, the very antithesis of what Naruto-mistakenly!-thought them to be. Those noble warriors did not take hostages, did not lie or cheat or even steal to accomplish their goals. They lived to help others. One of them had even been a good friend. Or so he had thought, once.

"Sure, I can round up a few." he agreed, the words tasting like ash in his mouth.

"You'll be leading them, of course."

Cody promptly spit out his caff.

"Excuse me?!"

"I said you'll be leading them, of course." Naruto repeated glibly as he leaned forward on the palms of his hands, a roguish grin affixed to his whiskered face. "What, you don't think I came all the way out to the boonies just for some random men, did you? With you leading them, hopefully we can do this right, and not lose anyone."

Ah, there it was again.

Overwhelming might or not...

...Naruto could be so damn naive sometimes.

He respected-and even now sometimes feared-Lord Vader of course, but given a choice he preferred the man's protege by leaps and bounds. Even after all his grueling training, Naruto still wasn't the sort to recklessly endanger innocent lives, certainly not without cause. He rather reminded him of another jedi, one he remembered serving fondly. There was even something of his fighting style there if one were to look closely enough, in the broad sweeps and the sure footing, ever making use of his superior reach and stride to dominate the flow of battle and by definition, his enemies.

It reminded him of General Skywalker.

But the one to teach Naruto had been none other than Darth _Vader._

The same man who showed unusual kindness to clones, just as Anakin once had.

Even if he knew next to nothing about what the Jedi were really, truly like.

Now _that_ raised a rather niggling suspicion in Cody's mind, a dark, treacherous thought he seldom entertained-even in his darker moments. _Could_ Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader be one and the same? He knew admittedly very little concerning the Sith and Jedi as a whole, but the secrets were there, ripe for the taking if one looked closely enough. Not that he'd ever voice this suspicion aloud. The last clone to make such a comparison to Lord Vader had gotten himself assigned to a backwater world on the Outer Rim.

Needless to say, they had never heard from him again.

Thus, once again, he tactfully chose to ignore it.

"So?" Naruto's voice cut into his interlude. "Whaddya say? Ready to get back into the fight? I can get you back to one hundred percent in no time!"

Ah.

So that was his game, eh?

More than anything, Cody longed for that.

Knowing Naruto, he was just as good as his word.

With that, the hook was well and truly baited for the old commander.

...alright, you win." the words escaped him almost before he knew it. But it was ultimately of his own volition that he reached out and extended his hand to the smug blond. "But you'd better damn well listen to me instead of charging off half-cocked like you usually do."

"Deal!" Naruto beamed, downing his drink and clasping his hand in one smooth motion. "Just pick out ten good guys and-

Whatever else he might've said died as he turned and beheld a long, slender figure making-storming-their way towards them. Even from this distance and with his fraying vision, Cody easily ascertained the kaminoan's identity. Fortunately, Naruto didn't have such poor luck, his expression remained one of reserved curiosity as the sea of recruits and troopers parted in the mess to make way for the enraged woman. Watching her with all the fierce intention of a hawk, the young force-user slowly stood, positioning himself so that he would be squarely between them.

"Friend of yours?" he posited.

"No." Cody sighed, climbing to his feet with an effort. "Not in the least."

"Ah." Funny how one sound could convey such distaste. "I don't have to be nice to her, then."

In hindsight, Cody felt like kicking himself; really he should have known-should've realized sooner- that the wizened old woman would find a way to make his life a living hell one last time. He just hadn't anticipated her having the gall to confront the apprentice of Darth Vader so openly. She had to be well and absolutely furious with him to simply wade into the mess like this. Judging by the strained grimace the blond had just adopted, he was experience the full breadth of that emotion now.

Nala Se was visibly bristling by the time she reached them, practically shaking with indignant wrath.

Cody knew that look.

"You!" she demanded, thrusting a spindly finger at the blond before he could speak to defend him, "Boy! How did you get in here?! Why have you distracted this clone from his training duties?!"

Naruto turned up his head, the better by which to look the Kaminoan in the eye.

"I suggest you rephrase those words, madam."

The weathered commander started visibly. Well. That was new.

For a heartbeat there, he'd almost sounded like his master.

"I've come to commandeer some of your men on a critical mission for the sake of the Empire." he replied pleasantly. "Commander Cody will lead them."

Cody didn't expect Nala Se to let him go without a fight.

She viewed every clone as the personal property of Kamino and guarded them jealously.

And she didn't it.

"This "clone"," she emphasized the word with a hiss, "Is property of Kamino. He is going nowhere without authorization. Certainly not with some upstart!"

"Alright, I'll just take Cody for now, then."

"No!" Nala Se raged! "Absolutely not!"

Naruto shrugged.

"You can protest all you want, but my word is final."

"I WILL protest! You cannot simply waltz in and-

"Is that your final answer, my lady?"

"It is indeed, whelp!"

Naruto sighed.

"Pity."

Then he pinched his thumb and forefinger together.

If Cody hadn't been looking right at him, he wouldn't have seen it.

It was the first outright display of violence he'd seen from him in ages.

As if a switch had been flipped; Naruto vanished and _something else took his place._

As he looked on the slender alien started violently, spindly hands flying to her throat as though to fend off an unseen hand. Forcibly strangled by this invisible fist, her smooth voice trailed off into a raspy cough, then a wheeze as the air rushed from her lungs. Silver eyes bulged against black as she scratched at the vice slowly killing her, to no avail.

Naruto simply squeezed tighter.

"I find your lack of faith disturbing." the blond hummed, the words dripping with false sweetness and subtle menace. "Cody's a loyal soldier of the Empire. He fought and bled for it. What did you do? Nothing. Yet for the pettiest of reasons, you blockade me from my duty." his voice darkened, as she struggled, furiously clawing at her throat. "And for what?" he scoffed at her angrily, "Not out logic or even a reason, but out of petty spite because someone once told you the same words to you. You mistake me, Nala Se. Your cannot hide your feelings from me _...and I am no Jedi."_

Incredibly he released her then, allowing the aggravated researcher precious air.

Slumping forward, Nala Se clutched at her freed throat, her foreheads scraping the ground.

Almost as if she were bowing.

She was, Cody realized.

"I...I'm sorry my lord!" she croaked, her voice little more than a strained whisper. "I didn't know it was you!"

"Well. Now you do and we can put all this unpleasantness behind us." when Naruto next he spoke, he was very much back to his old, cheerful self. "This is not a request, it is a command. As the Empire's Blade, I do so hereby reinstate Commander Cody to his former rank, armor, and all the privileges granted therein. He will work alongside me for the duration of my mission and you...

Nala Se flinched.

...will bugger off." Naruto finished, stepping over her prone form. After a moment's hesitation, Cody followed, sparing one final glance for the fallen researcher. Then he followed the bemused blond out of the mess and towards the landing pad.

"Why didn't you do that sooner?" he muttered.

The apprentice flashed him a grin.

"You didn't ask."

* * *

 _(...Felucia...)_

* * *

Mariss Brood was afraid.

Deep in the fungal forests of Felucia, sheltered by miles of vegetation and dozens of Felucian warriors willing to die for her-alongside her master no less-she shouldn't have felt such fear. She should have been calm and at peace, one with the Force in all its entirety. But the padawan felt none of these things, only the crushing realization that her precious sanctuary was about to come crashing down around her ears. By the end of this day she would have vengeance, or she would have death. So much for the vaunted Jedi Code. Where was it when she needed it most? Words, that's all it was.

 _There is no emotion, there is peace._ she recited it to herself like a mantra, desperately trying to stave off the anxiety. _There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force..._

And yet, there _was_ emotion.

There was hatred.

There was sorrow.

There was fear.

Terror gripped her heart in an icy vice and gave an awful squeeze, threatening to choke her where she stood. Fear. It was everywhere, only thinly masked. Fear of dying, fear of being the last jedi, fear of the unknown. So much fear that she scarcely knew what do so with or herself. Even now she could imagine that dread specter falling out of the sky with its crimson blade, feel the burning red brand against her flesh. Could she stand against such a foe? Did she have the strength to prevail?

Would she?

Or was she destined to die here?

The very thought of it made her horns ache.

Even the sky itself looked to have turned against them, dark clouds loomed overhead, carrying with them the promise of rain. Thunder rumbled through the heavens, flickers of lightning dancing in their depths. Anger vied with fear, fight or flight and she found herself torn. Torn between the need to extract vengeance against the Sith responsible for massacring her order and the need to get out of here to run, because this was bad, this was bad, this was very bad and she had a horrible feeling about all of this...

Shaak Tii felt no such fear.

Indeed, when Mariss risked a glance at her master she sensed nothing but quiet serenity, a beacon of calm in the Force. She was not frightened by the coming storm; if anything she seemed to embrace it, allowing the dark side to wash over her and remain unaffected, untainted. How did she do it? How could she remain so calm? More than anything, she envied her master such tranquility, a peace she could not seem to acquire. What did the old code matter now that they were the last of the jedi?

All of her life she had been taught not to feel emotion, and for what?! Nothing!

Because he was here; because he was coming for them.

An angry, tainted presence, looming in the Force.

Worse still, was the ship.

She saw the vessel on the horizon, a dark shape large enough to see, a curved one-man craft strafing across the sky. A heavily modified Tie Fighter, the piercing whine of its engines a neverending shriek that carried on and on and _on_ , pitching endlessly in an agonizing cry that her clenching her teeth, one that made her very skin crawl. She sensed the ship's pilot was strong with the Force and the Dark Side, looking on helplessly as he deliberately took time in landing, circling twice before setting down in a nearby grove, intentions clear.

They _wanted_ to be seen.

They longed to be known.

They needed to be feared.

They ached to butcher them, cut them down like dogs...

"Master...?" she ventured warily, suddenly dreading the silence of her own thoughts and the ghastly images her imagination conveyed. "Do you feel that?"

"I sense it, too. Assassins."

"Darth Vader has found us?" That was all she could think to utter. She sounded far braver than she felt.

"Perhaps." her master conceded after a moment's contemplation. "Mariss," she continued, rising to her feet in a smooth movement, "Gather your belongings and go into hiding just as we've practiced. Do not return until I've summoned you."

"But I-

Shaak Ti held up a hand, forestalling her protest.

"You will be no match for a Sith. You'd surely be captured or worse, killed.

"Damnit!" she cried in a sudden explosion of anger, unable to stand it any longer, "I can't just leave you to-

In that instant, she also felt something else.

Further away, not quite distant, but neither close, approaching at incredible speed. This presence was far stronger than the last, going so far as to utterly eclipse it. Whatever-whomever-they were they were closing fast, well near to overtaking the first intruder. She wasn't sure if that was something to applaud, or something to fear. Stretching out her senses, she struggled to contemplate the newcomer. It _felt_ dark, but unlike the other presence, she thought she glimpsed light within. Muted-faint-but present. Like a fire casting faint shadows on those who sought solace within its warmth, so too did this strange aura draw her in. There was eagerness there to be , but an eerie sense of fear as well. She almost dared to hope. Another jedi? It certainly didn't _feel_ like anyone anyone she knew, but the sensation was there, and she found herself reaching out to it,

 _What are you?_

A flicker of surprise jolted her, then she thought she felt a smile on the currents of the force.

It carried with it a response.

A vision, a flash of blue.

 **'Something...new.'**

And the link broke.

...another?" Shaak Ti was murmurring as Mariss came back to herself abruptly, a note of genuine concern in her voice. It seemed she hadn't noticed her brief foray into the mind of their enemy, or if she had, she didn't give it any mention. "This is...unexpected. Mariss, you must leave. Now."

Oddly enough, this dismissal only strengthened her resolve.

"No!" she bit out in a fit of pique, her temper getting the best of her. "If there are two of them, I should be here! I won't leave you here to die!"

She expected Master Tii to shut her down, to be firmly but gently denied.

Remarkably, something in that stern face softened.

...very well. But stay close to me."

Warm pride flushed her cheeks.

"I won't let you down!"

She had no way of knowing just how close she was to falling.

Nor just what had taken notice of her.

* * *

 _(...Several Minutes Earlier...)_

* * *

Felucia was glorious.

Even as the Fire Shadow emerged from space; even as the lines of infinity bouncing back to reveal stars, Naruto could feel it in his very bones. Something in this world spoke to him, as if it were a piece of himself that he'd lost, but never realized until now. As if he'd been on a long journey and only just come home.

It was a world thrumming with sheer vitality.

A planet teeming with life and vibrant energy on an almost primordial scale, it shone in the Force like a burning beacon. Merely being in its _presence_ filled Naruto with a strange sense of peace he'd never known before and he hadn't even landed yet. Great trees and fungus grew everywhere he looked, a thriving canopy that welcomed him with open arms. The Force itself felt almost _alive_ here, wild and fierce reaching out to enfold him in the softest whispers of curiosity and reassurance.

 _What are you?_

 _Gentle laughter trickled through the air, hands splayed against his back. The fullness of her body pressing against him, every curve welded to his own. Lips brushing his ear, tempting. Teasing. A warm voice like molten honey flowing through his thoughts and mingling with the heady scene of the jungle._

 _A whisper._

 _"Find me."_

Naruto blinked rapidly, the abrupt and unexpected vision dissipating as quickly as it had come.

What manner of force vision was _that?_

For a sliver of a second he thought he felt something there, a muted presence reaching out to brush against his mind. Whatever it was, it recoiled with a jolt at his instinctual reply. It slithered away before he could fully comprehend it, eeling through his fingers, leaving him wondering if it had been there at all.

His imagination?

Shaking his head, the blond returned his gaze to the viewport.

"So, what do you think?" he asked of the pilot. "Worth it?"

"Well, that depends." came the reply.

"Depends on what?"

"Depends on how good you are with those sabers of yours."

The retort was so unexpectedly that he actually barked a laugh.

"Damn, I missed working with you...Commander."

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" they groused, guiding the ship into the atmosphere.

"Nope. Not in a million years."

...you know," Cody's helmeted head turned to face him as the chair spun, his expression inscrutable beneath the faceless helm. It was only the levity of his voice that lent any hint as to how he truly felt. "I forgot what an insufferable little shit you could be. You're like a rancor with a bone!"

"Guilty as charged." the apprentice bowed. "Oh, and Cody?"

"Hmm?"

"Good to have you back."

"Good to _be_ back."

On that much they agreed.

It felt damn good to be back in his armor again, after all these years. Even if it was a bit snug in places. Naruto had been true to his word, however, and promptly put him under anesthesia once they were en-route to to Felucia. Whatever the procedure, whatever strange, eldritch ritual he'd concocted in that mind of his, it had worked. More than that. Once he'd been roused, it had only taken a few hours to see the difference. The white and grey was gone from his hair, the wrinkles faded to mere creases. His joints no longer ached. He could remember everything with near-perfect clarity.

His aim was steady and true, just as it had always been.

He didn't know how he'd done it and considering the scope of his new powers frankly, he didn't want to know. Whether he'd used some complex medical device or outright resorted to siphoning life from another human being and channeled it into him...no, he didn't want to think of it. He'd asked and Naruto had kindly told him not to do so again. What mattered was that it had _worked._ He felt like a soldier again, not some old, graying relic locked away to be forgotten. Call it willful ignorance if you will, but some doors were best left unopened. Some secrets, remained as such.

"Well, then!" Naruto declared suddenly, clapping his hands together and starling the commander from his resolve, "Have fun with the ship! I'll meet you down there."

Cody had just enough time to see the the sith make for the cargo bay, and another second to realize what he intended.

"Wait, what are you doing? Kid? KID?!"

A rush of air was his only answer.

"GERONIMO~!"

Then, with a demented cackle, the Sith flung himself down the ramp and leaped out into open air in a wild free fall. Without a chute. A streak of fire heralded his rapid descent and then he was gone from the viewport, crashing through the trees and laughing all the way. Now, if Cody had been a sane man, he would've turned the ship around right then and there. He fulfilled his end of the bargain and brought the blond to Felucia, so really, he didn't owe him anything more than this. A rational man would have deemed his duty done and gotten _the hell away from this crazy bastard._

Alas, Cody had never been one for sanity.

Resigning himself for the long haul, he angled the Fire Shadow towards a relatively sturdy-looking fungus tree. Well, that settled things.

He'd lost his damn mind!

* * *

 _(...Deeper Within the Jungle...)_

* * *

It was a very nice landing, all things considered.

He'd only destroyed a handful of trees before managing to stop himself, carving a burned swathe of charred ground into the forest. Even with his armor, he

Thank the Force for regeneration!

He felt Shaak Ti as a burning blue beacon in the force, as stern and unmovable as a rigid pillar. And there beside her another presence, more fearful, and angry. A padawan? Here? He would've found it funny, where it not for the third presence looming over them like a shadow.

For there, far too close to them for his liking, he found the Fifth Brother.

By contrast the Inquisitor was a dark spot, a blight on the planet's very existence. Tainted. Oddly enough, Naruto's first reaction wasn't one of fury. Annoyance perhaps, but not anger. He should have known one of the Inquisitors would get wind of his mission and try to beat him here. Try to steal his prey. Now _that_ did anger him. Greedy fools! They were vultures, always circling, always waiting for an opportunity. They'd become even more ambitious since the death of the Grand Inquisitor not long ago, and now, it seemed one of them had grown bold enough to venture into one of his hunts.

If those one thought he could get away with it, he was sorely mistaken.

He'd never liked Inquisitors.

They seemed to take a foul sort of pleasure in flaunting their power over the weak and the helpless, using their strength to dominate others. Even the Seventh Sister, who was only marginally more likable than her kin and somewhat friendly to him, fell victim to this crutch. When you had power, it was easy to abuse it. To lord it over others. Naruto knew better. Sometimes it was the weak who decided the fate of a galaxy. Those you abused today might yet stab you in the back tomorrow. He knew. He had been weak from the beginning. He'd shouted and scratched and scraped and _slashed_ his way to power, and he was content with his station.

Just as he was content with his lightsabers.

He called them to his hands now as the undergrowth rustled and shook, a sure sign that his violent descent into the forest hadn't gone unnoticed. Sure enough, he sensed a troop of warriors headed in his direction, no doubted diverted to slow him down. Their numbers were...rather sizable.

Their funeral.

"And here we go." he sighed, thumbing the release.

An electric snap-hiss greeted his ears as the twin, amber blades snarled to life; identical bars the color of the brightest sunset rising between him and the onrushing enemy.

Rather than follow the over-sized, bulky design of his master's weapon, which even Vader believed was inelegant to the point of being ungainly, Naruto had opted to follow the make of one Vader's predecessors. Rather, that of a man long since dead.

He'd chosen to adopt a curved-hilt lightsaber, also called a dueling lightsaber, a design employed by Dooku, the Count of Serenno, former Jedi Master.

The man who became Darth Tyranus.

The use of curved hilts allowed for more precise movements as well as near-perfect flexibility when engaged in lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat. It was also more complex and gave the creator of such a hilt more of a challenge in aligning its crystals, as well as requiring a minor variation in holding the grip. Curved hilts needed to be held more in the palm, farther away from the fingertips. The hilt's curvature also gave the wielder more power when delivering overhand strikes and would change the angle of the attacks by the merest fraction of a degree; this was usually just enough to confuse and disorient an unsuspecting opponent.

Some techniques were more difficult when using a curved hilt, but many others became far more effective. The hilt design was not limited to Form II; its advantages in dueling carried over to every form.

Unfortunately, curved-hilt lightsabers were generally more difficult to use in blaster-bolt deflection.

However, Naruto had discovered that the nature of the curved hilts actually fit more comfortably with a preference for the Shien-style reversed grip.

Naruto had crafted himself a pair of the blades which produced a projected a brightly-lit, sixteen-inch-long, plasma energy blade, the blade being amber in color. And seeing as lightsabers had a 360-degree cutting surface, the blade had a cone-shaped point rather than a rounded tip the way Jedi's did; to aid in the penetration of thrust-based attacks.

The weapons' solid, heavy-duty, yet thin hilts, which if they were straight as with most lightsaber designs, would be exposed as being twenty-eight centimeters long and five centimeters wide, favored maximum strength and were built for power with a metallic casing of nigh-indestructible phrik alloy. They'd also been given a manganese brass radiator casing, a treatment that prevents corrosion around the saber's traditional internal components. They utilized a high output diatium power cell, a synth-crystal as the focusing crystal, and the lightsabers' solid casing was for maximum protection against power surge deterioration, as well as having field energizers to give the sabers stronger and more reliable blades, and featured a quick recharge plug along with it having a bifurcating cyclical-ignition pulse to allow them to operate underwater.

Naruto liked to believe in being prepared, paranoid as it might seem.

Not only that, but as paired lightsabers, the two weapons could be joined together at the hilt with fibercord to function as a saberstaff. Alas, due to the curved form of the handle, it was somewhat more difficult to wield than he would have liked.

As for the crystal within them, they utilized synthetic lightsaber crystals, commonly referred to as a Synth-crystal, a type of lightsaber crystal that was artificially created, rather than naturally formed by geological processes. Due to the methods used in their creation, they weren't the pure, blood red of most sith, though they could be made with any color through special manipulations of either the creation process or the crystal itself, often through the Force.

"Well, here we go."

It was to the Force which he gave himself now, closing his eyes and plunging into the Dark Side as the forest erupted into a sea of blue bodies. When next they opened, those gentle blue orbs were nowhere to be seen, replaced by the burning yellow eyes of the Sith.

He ceased restraining himself.

Reason faded and the rage rushed in.

With it came release, sweet, blessed release.

One of the first Felucians to reach him yelped as a towering trunk abruptly bisected his path, crushing him and his war-band to red paste upon the spongy ground. The rest proved themselves slightly more fortunate in that they were able to evade the _first_ plight of their fellows.

They did not escape the second.

His blade gestured and the world shook as though an invisible hammer had descended upon it; cratering the earth like clay and crashing through all in its path.

Those that survived found themselves subjected to further horrors.

Deactivating a blade, he latched onto the nearest Felucian he could find and yanked with the full might of the Force; hauling the startled alien off its feet before cannoning him back into his fellows. A savage bolt of Force Energy rendered the poor fellows insensate, and another, ensured many a warrior would never see another sunrise. Their leader quivered once, cried out in a growl, and was still. Naruto didn't bother to wait, tossing the broken body aside into one of his attackers before reactivating the blade and flinging himself into the fray.

What followed next was little more than a scorched blur.

This close to the enemy and with so many, there was no room for any of his more precise attacks, and with so many bodies pressing in around him, it was nearly impossible to attack with anything resembling precision. They tried to stop him, tried to slow him and thus, he abandoned all attempts at precision altogether. Great arcs of lighting leaped from foe to foe as his blades scissored through the teeming masses. There was no time for thought, only instinct, only emotion, only passion.

And with passion came power.

He fought, slashed, and killed as he never had ever done in his life. He fought until his vision burned a raw red and his nose filled with the scent of scorched flesh-some his own, some that of the enemy-and then kept fighting, breaking necks, snapping bones, always killing crushing, dismembering, eviscerating. Rational thoughts ceased to be, replaced only by the blinding urge to crush, to destroy, to make sure not a single soul left this place alive. He ceased to think, to reason, and cared for only one thing.

 _Death._

Force enhanced reflexes carried him through the jungle like a bloody wraith, whomever he touched perished on the stop, be it through blade or bolt or simply being crushed through sheer force of will. Within those first few seconds he'd slaughtered nearly four dozen of the enemy force on his own, and countless more had fallen to lighting, others, brutal crosscuts from his blazing blades, neck crushed into pulp. In the back of his mind, Naruto began to understand just how easily Darth Vader must have laid waste to most of the Jedi army by himself so long ago; it was the Dark Side. Even here in the thick murk of so many, everything seemed to move in slow motion.

With this power, he could do anything.

 _Everything._

Even the most glancing of blows fueled him, lent more strength to his body. Strong with the Force though they might be, the natives were little more than amateurs when it came down to finesse. They didn't know the power of the Dark Side. Their moves were painfully obvious to any trained adept; to Naruto, they telegraphed their intentions long before they'd even attacked. But it wasn't enough. The Dark Side urged him on further, spurring him into an unholy frenzy, fueling him with every moment. Clubs made of sharpened bone slammed down against his armored body and bounced away, their owners crying out with fear as he shouldered even their mightiest blows.

And he took full advantage of that fear.

The sharpest bit of honed bone yet shot past in the form of a flung dagger, opening his cheek and momentarily breaking him out of his berserker fury. Scoffing, he made a fist and crushed the rogue's chest, then flung a a saber into another before kicking him, shrieking, into his fellows. The ensuing shrieks that followed after was...not as satisfying as he'd hoped. Was this all Shaak Ti had to offer? She hadn't even deigned to train these warriors properly! They were trying to kill him with _sticks_ for crying out loud-

Then a bull rancor charged out from the undergrowth, bearing a Felucian rider on his back and his opinion changed.

"Oh." he managed eloquently.

Naruto's rage well and truly abandoned him then, appreciation for the massive beast rearing its head while simultaneously warring with wariness at its sudden appearance. To say that it towered over him would've been a colossal understatement. Larger than most rancor, it could've easily devoured him in a single gulp. This wasn't something he could simply hack apart with sheer tenacity, not without perishing in the process. Worse, its rider commanded an intelligence the beast lacked, and brought it down upon him with a string of gibberish.

The creature caught his scent and roared, its maw splitting wide.

It was only just beginning to descend on him when he lashed out with Force Lighting. His hands snapped up, clenched into claws and thousands of jagged volts cascaded forward into the beast as one, sending its thick body into spasms of agony alongside its rideer. Sparks scrawled up and down its hide and although its eyes burned a bright white as though lit from within, the battered blond didn't relent. Impossibly, the beast was still alive. Even now he could see it struggling, fighting to approach him and gore him. Such strength! A pity it was a wild beast, else he would've liked to tame it. Ah, well, beggars couldn't be choosers.

With a roar and a final surge he hurled the beast away and out of the forest, while flinging its rider down at his feet.

Despite his best efforts to the contrary, Naruto felt himself sighing at the Felucian's hopeless expression. He raised a hand, fingers splayed.

"Go on," he coached, "Get out of here."

To his disbelief, the warrior actually lunged at him with a warbling shriek. What kind of loyalty was this to inspire one beyond hope?! Though the bone dagger grated harmlessly against his armored shoulder Naruto felt his temper pique and lashed out with the Force, sending the warrior crashing through the brush and out of the forest. The blond shouldered his way through after him, and finally broke through the barrier of leaves and brambles at long last, crashing past the last of the jungle to the sound of crashing sabers and an open clearing upon an embankment.

Well, well, well.

It was _indeed_ the Fifth Brother who'd beaten him here he discovered and it came as a pleasant surprise to see that he was being beaten with an inch of his life. Handily at that. He struck and parried frantically as blurs of green and blue spun about him in an endless dance, saber spinning wildly whilst he struggled to ward off his attackers. A fierce pleasure welled up in Naruto at the sight of his struggling. Had he perhaps approached him and asked for his help rather than snuck, he might've been willing to be the better man and lend a hand.

As things stood now, he wondered if he shouldn't just let them kill him.

He was starting to wonder if that made him a good sith.

A sharp riposte thrust the Inquisitor on his back foot, and in the lull he glimpsed the red-white visage of a Togrutan female.

Well.

This, then, must be Shaak Ti.

This was a _true_ Jedi Master, leagues above the training droids he'd battled high in the skies of Bespin and in the darkened slums of Coruscant. A warrior incarnate, power personified. There was a certain regal grace to the way she moved, each step was measured, calculated. Not a single movement wasted. A young Zabrak woman hung back from the fight, darting in to strike at that Inquisitor's flank, seeming to vanish whenever he lashed out at her directly. Her padawan no doubt, though the pale girl's name escaped him. One could clearly see that he'd been fighting them both for some time now, and he was faltering at that. No, it wouldn't be long now...

"Help me, you fool!"

The apprentice frowned thoughtfully as the Inquisitor called out to him. That frown became steadily more pronounced as he realized what the backstabber intended. Ah, it seemed the Inquisitor was aware of him after all. And he wanted his help?! After coming here to undo his mission?! Oh, the gall!

Pure, unmitigated gall!

Still, he slid down the embankment and ignited one of his blades, the act of which caused the battle to briefly shift in the Inquisitor's favor. The Fifth Brother managed to retreat with a successful Force Push and all but hurried to his side, visibly favoring his right leg.

"Took you long enough!" he rasped.

Naruto wasn't having any of it.

"This is my mission! Why are _you_ here?"

"Your mission?! I was the one who found them first!"

"You scruffy-looking nerf herder! That's a load of bullshit!"

"What is this, Sith?" Shaak Ti challenged, raising her blade. "Reinforcements?"

Naruto smiled thinly at her.

"Something like that."

It was becoming painfully clear to him that the Fifth Brother wasn't willing to cooperate with him, much less win the day. Worse, he had no one to blame but himself, his needlessly escalating events beyond their scope had been the catalyst for all of this; no doubt seeking to force a confrontation in an attempt to further elevate himself beyond his admittedly meager station. Naruto had no such desires. He was content in his post, and wished only to better the Empire which he served. He killed where necessary and admittedly took some pleasure in several of those kills, but he liked to think he knew when to stop it, that there was at least one aspect that separated him from the power-hungry Inquisitors.

The difference, you ask?

Why, he was merciful, of course.

"Sorry."

The Fifth Brother had only a moment to comprehend what was happening, to hear the angry thrum of a lightsaber and realize the enormity of the blond's betrayal. Not enough time to react, but just enough to stiffen in surprise. Then a blazing orange blade sprouted through his chest from behind as the blond's remaining saber ignited, boring through flesh and bone. He hung there for a long moment, gaping wordlessly, gawping down at the searing amber line boring a thin hole through where his heart once lay. Now only a scorched hole in his chest awaited him, leaving him to choke on air that would no longer come.

Golden eyes snapped towards him, wide with disbelief.

"You...traitor...!"

"No." Naruto withdrew his weapon with a dark flourish, leaving the Inquisitor to stagger forward, falling to his knees with a choked scream. "Not a traitor. My orders were to take the Jedi alive. Not dead, you idiot. Alive. You endangered those orders with your senseless pride. The Empire has no need for people like you. As it's Blade...

His lightsaber cut down mercilessly on the man's throat.

"...I release you."

Shaak Ti frowned.

"Aren't you a bit...nice for an Inquisitor?"

"That's slander." Naruto sniffed, kicking the Inquisitor's head away from the corpse. "I like to think of myself as upstanding citizen of the Empire. Unlike you."

"You just killed your comrade!" Mariss choked out.

"Well, nobody's perfect. And he was _anything_ but my ally. Really, I did the galaxy a favor. Now, then...

Still smiling, he raised his hands in an offering of peace, or what he hoped looked like it.

"I'm going to have to ask the two of you to come with me."

He wasn't at all surprised when they ignited their sabers.

"Why do they always pick the hard way?!"

Then they flew at him.

 **A/N: And there we are. Now, one might wonder how Naruto has the Force at all in this, or if he's simply a very skilled fighter. To answer your questions, Naruto DOES have some semblance of that good ol' chakra, but he possesses the Force through a twist in the seal. One might even say it opened him to it, though not entirely in a good way. The rules for his universe and that of "Star Wars" as a whole are radically**

 **I wanted to stick with the core concept that Naruto, as a whole, is a good person, no matter his upbringing. Yes, he can be angered, and corrupted somewhat, but pure evil? Don't think so. Look at what he dealt with as a boy! And he STILL turned out to be a somewhat decent-if silly-shinobi in the end. Of course, Star Wars is a whole different extreme. THIS Naruto has been told to use his emotions, to trust them. He has never been downtrodden, in any sense of the word, and as a result, he's very confident. But despite all his training, all the indoctrination, he doesn't like to hurt.**

 **Case in point, his argument against bombing Felucia.**

 **Yes, he's naive at times, but he genuinely believes that the Jedi are evil because its ALL HE HAS BEEN TOLD SINCE HE WAS A BABY. He knows the Empire itself is flawed, and wants to make up for those flaws by fixing it from within. So, no, despite the efforts of Vader and Palpatine alike, he isn't wholly corrupted. But when he gets mad, ohhhhh boy does Kurama slip out. I honestly pity any fool who pisses himself off that much, but I think we know just who might...**

 **Time will only tell if he sticks with it or joins the Rebellion.**

 **So in the Immortal Words of the Emperor himself...**

 **...yes, use your emotions! Give in! REVIEW!**

 **And of course, enjoy the preview!**

 **(Preview!) Its very rough at this time, so bear with me! Can't give too much away, eh? GUESS WHO?!**

 _Naruto blinked as she knelt before him._

 _"Please...teach me your ways."_

 _Awkward silence followed._

 _For but a moment._

 _And then:_

 ** _...eh?!"_**

* * *

 _"Transmission for you. Might want to take this."_

 _"Who is it?"_

 _"Oh, no one important...just the Emperor."_

 _Naruto bolted upright._

 _"C_ _ome again?!"_

 _He'd never seen the man before, much less spoken to him._ _That the great Palpatine himself would deign to speak with him was something of an honor. A privilege, really. It would allow him to meet the mighty one and make his own assumptions, more so as he found himself face to face with the hologram._

 _"Lord Vader speaks most highly of you."_ _He sounded most kind, his manners smooth as cream._

 _"He did?"_ _That left him slightly taken aback._

 _"Yes, yes, excellent." The Emperor rasped. "I expect great things from you, my boy."_

 _That was the problem with emotions, you blushed readily._

 _"I won't let you down."_

 _For a moment there, he'd thought he had seen something lurking beneath that kindly facade._

 _Something was amiss._

 _He was determined to find out what._

 **=D**


	3. Peace is a Lie

**A/N: DISCLAIMER! I OWN NOTHING! I do not own Star Wars nor any of its movies, books, games, or affiliated properties. I wish I did, but alas, that's not the case and its owned by Disney. I merely do homage to Star Wars, honor certain aspects of it more than others, and try to respect the continuity as best I can.**

 **Also, major props to Dylan Millwood for helping me write portions of this chapter! Thanks to him, I was able to get another chapter out quickly!**

 **Oh and if you're looking for another good read, go check "Sith of Another Time"!**

 **They've been a major inspiration! More power to 'em!**

 **Now, then...**

 **HERE WE ARE AGAIN! ANOTHER MASSIVE CHAPTER STRAIGHT FROM THE DEPTHS OF MY MIND TO PAPER! Or...text in this case, I suppose. The fight scenes were hell to write and I was plagued with being a perfectionist throughout, so I'd love to hear what you think of them! I do apologize for any cutoff sentences or paragraphs ending abruptly. I'm trying to fix that =D**

 **But enough about that!**

 **Now, I need your help, guys and girls! People are asking about potential Darth names for Naruto.**

 **How does Navar sound?**

 **Mind you, it would be pronounced _Nahvar_ , for the record.**

 **I was GOING to use Marr, but then I played SWTOR and realized that's been taken by another Sith. That dude is a beast! So I really need some names, or it'll end up being Navar after all. Darth Xion, perhaps? I really like Navar, though...**

 **Suggestions, folks?**

 **BE SURE TO READ THE REST OF THIS, because it gives some good hints as to what's coming.**

 **Now to answer questions and fan mail!**

 **Q: Is Naruto a Light Sith?**

 **A: Well! In a sense, though he has yet to realize it. He doesn't really want much, but he prizes his emotions above all. He can rage with the best of him, but his mind is firmly his own and he doesn't like the idea of flying into a berserk fury unless you ABSOLUTELY push him into it or back him into a corner. So, sorry to disappoint some people but he's not an angry red rage machine quite yet, to the dismay of some and relief of others.**

 **Q: Are Juno and Proxy going to be in this?**

 **A: In all honesty, I'm not sure. It feels like they belong with Starkiller more than Naruto. But I can see my way to giving him a pilot other than Cody. Any suggestions?**

 **Q: Wait a second! How does Naruto not know what the Jedi are really about?!**

 **A: Do you honestly think Vader would allow him to know the truth? This is DARTH VADER we're talking about here, folks. Would he tell Naruto the truth? Not in a thousand years. He's been fed this lie all his life. Not to mention the Naruto WE know is stubborn to a fault. So naturally when the truth is presented to him, he's not going to believe it right away.**

 **Q: Whose side is Cody truly on? You won't make him betray Naruto, will you?**

 **A: Cody's will is his own. Who knows what he might do if push comes to shove? He's grappling with guilt and a bad case of stress from his actions in the Clone Wars. Who knows where this might yet lead him?**

 **Q: Please oh please oh PLEASE let Naruto interact with the Seventh Sister and Ahsoka soon! That's your plan right? The anticipation is KILLING ME!**

 **A: Read my mind did you?! The former will show up in this chapter and her entrance is fucking TERRIFYING. I also take a few liberties with her powers and appearance, because good lord that helmet of hers was UGLY.**

 **Q: Will we see Bly and other clones?**

 **A: It IS likely...**

 **Q: Is Naruto going to take an apprentice?!**

 **A: Possibly.**

 **Q: What about his chakra? Surely he has it...?**

 **A: Naruto was NEVER trained as a shinobi. He has chakra certainly, but its mostly Kurama's. An entity he isn't wholly aware of and presently, a being of pure hate. So, no, don't expect him to up and spam clones or conjure a rasengan just yet.**

 **Q: Can we ever expect him to return home to the Elemental Nations?**

 **A: Not anytime soon. But yes, I suppose it is possible.**

 **Q: How in the Sith hell did Naruto learn Force Lightning at such a young age?**

 **A: With trial and error, I suspect. Starkiller learned it as well, as did Palpatine. Naruto certainly hasn't mastered it, but with his immense reserves, he can inflict a crippling amount of damage upon anyone unfortunate to be caught in the blast range.**

 **Oh, and do try not to laugh too much, because this is going to be a WILD ride...**

 **So with that, I hope you all have a lovely day/evening, plug in some headphones, and get ready for a good ol' fashioned brawl.**

 **Enjoy!**

 _"When you feel anger in your every connection the Force...then you'll know the Dark Side as I do. Know it. Embrace it and live."_

 _"The galaxy's an intricate place. You think you're doing the right thing, but then it has consequences you never imagined."_

 _"I am what they made me. I don't know how to be anything else."_

 _~a discussion with the Empire's Blade._

 **Peace is a Lie**

 _The Force was alive._

It was there in every blow struck against Vader's apprentice. It shrieked at him in every parry, whispered to him with every riposte; singing a song of battle to him as he took the offensive, guiding his hands and urging him onward to an unseen conclusion. Ever in flux was the future, hampering his ability to see, much less predict his opponents. For one moment the Empire's Blade saw both women bowing to him in submission-in the next, he was speared to the ground upon the infallible blue pillar of Shaak Ti's blade. Still another showed them all death, the planet burning as Admiral Constantine's flee bombarded it from orbit.

Try as he might, Naruto couldn't see the end of it. No one had told him it would be this difficult!

Hampered by his orders to take them alive, he found himself on the defensive.

Had he been allowed to kill them, this would've been far easier!

If not for them, this battle would have ended hours ago!

Spirits, he didn't want it to come to that.

For there was no peace here on the planet of Felucia, no understanding between enemies and allies. Only violence. Brutal, uncivilized _violence._ No words of diplomacy here, no sounds save the spitting of sparks and the occasional grunt of exertion as the Dark Side and the Light snarled at one another. Lightsabers clashed and shrieked and strove against one another, staining the grove in wild colors as their wielders collided violently in the light of the setting sun, came apart, only to collide again in a vivid spectrum of light.

Curtains of crimson.

Sheets of azure.

Fans of jade.

Naruto would have found it all hauntingly beautiful in its own way, if he weren't fighting for his life. Every second required his utmost concentration; for he stood perched on a razor's edge and the slightest slip promised disaster. Already his armor bore scorch marks where he'd failed to block in time, his arms aching from the effort of defending from so many angles at once. Bad enough that he had to face a Jedi Master in open combat where the terrain disfavored him, but her padawan and that damnable cloak of hers was making the battle markedly more difficult. He hadn't thought it possible to use the Force in such a manner, let alone witness it firsthand.

He was beginning to both envy and _hate_ the technique, for it allowed her to harass him with her ability to vanish from his senses at will.

Worse, Mariss had since realized that she couldn't stand up to him in combat alone, so she'd taken it upon herself to harry him at every opportunity. Even now he saw her ripple out of sight in his peripherals, leaving him to wonder where she would next reappear. But there was no more time for thought, for Shaak Ti was upon him again like a force of nature in her own right, a peerless and matchless warrior who refused to allow him time to think, much less seek a non-lethal end to their conflict.

Luckily, thinking had never been Naruto's strong suit.

Rather than maintain his blistering offense as he had thus far and risk falling to a sneak attack, the Empire's Blade gave ground willingly as the Togrutan descended on him anew, her blade a masterful flurry of strikes, harmlessly deflected or redirected by the red wall of his sabers. In her defense, Shaak Ti wasn't old per se, in fact she was quite beautiful, but she certainly wasn't at her peak these days and it showed. For all her lean physique and vaunted skill she had fallen into the same trap as so many of her brethren. After all these years in hiding she'd neglected her training. _He_ however, was very much in his prime and had spent nearly every waking moment honing those skills under Darth Vader, not a single day was wasted.

If you weren't sleeping, you were training.

If you weren't eating, you were training.

If you weren't dead, you were training.

It made a twisted sort of sense in a way that her skills had atrophied somewhat; what Jedi would devote time to the upkeep of their skills when the entire galaxy was hunting for them?

Lighting crackled from his fingertips and arced outward, only to find itself abruptly redirected by the Jedi Master.

That...proved rather painful.

Agony spasming through him, Naruto cut the torrent of power and slumped, groaning.

"Alright, that's just not fair...

Twirling a block from his knee, the blond spun up to feint at her chest with one saber and thrust at her feet with the other, violently interposing his blade across the other. His speed must've startled her; because she shrank back again, giving ground. Naruto hesitated to follow her, though part of him longed for the chase and its inevitable conclusion. Still, why this sudden meekness on her part? Was she trying to lead him somewhere? He flung a cold volley of lightning after her and was halfway through to chasing her when the angry snap-hiss of another lightsaber filled his ears.

"Surprise." an angry voice hissed in his ear. "Now, you die."

His caution came too late as the Force roared a warning.

 _'It's a trap!'_

A blaze of pain shot through him as Mariss pounced on him a heartbeat later, thrusting her twin lightsaber tonfas at his back with reckless abandon. Her technique was flawless, her body emerging from the Force Cloak just under his guard, her sabers sweeping upward to strike at his unprotected spine. She'd put her very life on the line, poured all of her force-enhanced speed and power into this moment. Under any other circumstance, and with any other, she might have succeeded in killing them then and there.

Not so, the Empire's Blade.

Abandoning his lightsabers entirely, the blond rounded on her faster than she thought possible, dropped to a knee, and _caught_ the blades in his hands.

Physically.

Caught.

Them.

"What?!"

"Surprise yourself." Naruto ground out.

The shock that flashed across the padawan's visage pleased him more than words ever could. He could see it in her eyes and feel her fear; she'd expected to skewer the Sith from behind like a gundark on a spit, not for him to drop his weapons and _catch_ the energy blades with his unarmored hands. Even now he had her blades firmly bound at his side and in his fists, preventing her from extricating her precious weapons. Despite that very same fear she still fought him, struggling to tear the weapons from his grasp and strike him down.

"Do you really want me dead that badly?"

Her only response was a growl.

He owed his survival solely to _Tutaminis,_ a powerful energy absorption technique hammered into him by Vader with ruthless determination. He never thought he would ever be more grateful for one of the Dark Lord's teachings than he was now. The much-neglected skill had just saved his life, but it was something that required the utmost of concentration and not one he could use often. Even now, he could feel the blades trying to burn his hands, cut through his palms and render him powerless. He could only use the skill once a day without fail, but of course, Mariss didn't know that. All she knew was that the sith had just caught her weapons _barehanded._

"How did you...?!"

Naruto grinned, forcing her sabers down.

"Your power is insignificant compared to that of the Dark Side!"

In this instance, he deliberately said Dark Side rather than the Force itself as he would have. Taunts had never been his forte, but like all things, Vader had drilled the importance of Dun Moch into him at a young age. It was not a technique he took pleasure in by any means; unlike most Sith, he did not relish the act of breaking his opponents, instead preferring to defeat them swiftly and soundly. If someone suffered the misfortune of being his enemy and refused to be swayed from that course, then the least he could was grant them a quick death. But in situations such as these, when he was forbidden from killing his targets, the technique proved essential.

" _Make your foe doubt themselves, their beliefs, their very intentions. Such things disrupt connections to the Force - and death soon follows._ "

Time and time again his master had told him this, drilled it into him until it was second nature.

If this served to end the battle without any casualties, all the better.

Break an opponent, demoralize them, and the day was yours.

But as with all things, Dun Moch had its drawbacks.

Sometimes, one pushed just enough.

 _Sometimes you pushed too far._

"I hate you!"

Releasing her blades the young Zabrak flung up her hands and shrieked at him, the Force gathering in her palms. Alarmed by the power he felt gathering there, Naruto discarded his grasp on her weapons and raised his own hand to meet the devastating blast he felt growing there, matching her power for power. For that much, he was prepared. He was _not_ ready for the hatehe found burning in those dark eyes. Caught between them, the Force shrieked and keened, growing strained and frayed as light and dark pushed against one another.

Shaak Ti chose that pivotal moment to enter the fray once more.

Unlike her apprentice, Naruto noticed instantly.

Lacked subtlety, this one did.

Scissoring Brood's legs out from under her, he called his blades back to him with a thought and crossed them over his shoulders in a blazing x-shape, parrying her behind his back. By contrast to the frenzied attack of her mad, invigorated apprentice, the Jedi Master's desperate assault barely registered as a blip on his radar. Truly, it was foolish of her to recklessly come within his reach without a plan, even with his attention focused focused on that of another. Once more the Force swelled around him, amplified by his emotions into solid form, blasting outward at those who thought to do him arm.

The Force Repulse slammed into both Jedi as one, ripping master and student from their feet as well as one another and flinging them to opposite ends of the grove. Again, he'd spared them. Battered and bruised, each Jedi climbed to their feet but this time they proved far more wary than before.

"And so, pride cometh before the fall." he paused, considering. "Alright, that sounded way better in my head...

"Double the pride, twice the fall." Mariss shot back with a hiss.

Naruto nearly laughed despite himself. Her hate might be unsettling, but she certainly had fire!

"We'll see how proud _you_ are once I've beaten of you."

By way of response she vanished again and Shaak Ti launched herself at him.

"Are you enjoying yourself?!"

"I am! You read my mind, Jedi!"

Sidestepping a narrow lunge, Darth Vader's apprentice caught the Jed Master's blade on his rightmost weapon and forced it deep into the marshy ground with a sputtering hiss. The earth shuddered and he frowned in momentary confusion. Why would the earth shake? Then, even as Shaak Ti struggled against the block his head snapped forward, forehead jarring against hers in a vicious headbutt that momentarily stunned her and shattered her concentration. Then his second saber was descending, howling an angry scarlet line toward her startled face. It would be a killing blow, quick and agile and sure to take her head right off-

 _'No!'_

Remembering Vader's strict instructions, he narrowly averted the killing blow at the last instant, cutting through the thin leather straps that bound her bountiful breasts. Naruto realized his mistake a heartbeat later as his weapon swept bast to graze the side of her neck.

Oops.

He certainly hadn't intended to be getting a look at those today!

 _That_ got a reaction out of her, but not the one he'd expected.

The flash of anger was quick and hot.

Wholly unexpected.

Shaak Ti's _fist_ shot out in a streak of red, striking him hard in the face, sending stars shooting across his vision, and bloodying his nose. Then, while he still reeled, she cut fast and low at his knees with her blade, to which Naruto barely bound over the blazing blue line; immediately taking advantage of the momentary momentum of his leap and using it to slam both sabers down against hers in a crushing blow. The impact of the dual strike momentarily staggered the older jedi, forcing her to her a knee and turning the tide back into the apprentice's favor.

"Master Ti, you disappoint me." he scoffed, bearing down on her. "Did you really think I'd fall for that trick? Nice punch, though."

"Do you truly wish to humiliate me, sith?" she retorted over their crossed blades. "If so, I pity you."

This close her crimson visage seemed to stained itself a bright shade of sapphire upon her blade.

He imagined his own face was stained by the red of his blood just as much his own weapon.

"I don't want to, no." Naruto growled out, refusing to relent, "But I have my orders and good soldiers _follow_ them! Surrender!"

"Never!"

 _"Then you leave me no choice!"_

Snarling, he flicked two of his fingers away from his leftmost hilt and a current of force lightning arced out to meet a reappearing Mariss even as she tried to flank him. Caught unawares by the sudden deluge of raw energy and either unable or unwilling to slow in time, the Zabrak raised her weapons. Even in that split second Naruto saw what she intended, recognizing her last, desperate attempt to catch the oncoming storm on one of her blades. An admirable attempt to be sure, but woefully foolish and an amateur one at that. One did not simply charge into a krayt dragon's nest with that kind of plan.

She might not live to regret that foolish decision.

"Mariss, don't!"

 _Too late,_ Naruto realized with a pang of regret.

Instead of being caught by her sabers as she'd no doubt intended, the sith's, the powerful torrent tore through her meager defenses and found flesh. Mariss's entire body spasmed as every muscle clamped down at once, her mouth opening in a voiceless scream, shoulders shaking uncontrollably as the dark side took her and flung her across the clearing. She landed, sprawled out in a heap some yards away, her skin steaming, tonfas dropping from nerveless fingers. Even from here, the Empire's Blade could see the damage he'd done.

"Monster!"

Shaak Ti's gasp pained him, oddly enough, and he found himself leaning back, breaking the deadlock. He soon came to regret this act of mercy. Another flash of anger surrounded the Jedi Master in the Force, far more power than the last before being ruthlessly suppressed.

 _The force push that followed was anything but._

It was only the barest of instincts that prevented him from being mowed down on the spot. Some sixth sense shrieked at him to move and he flung himself aside as her hand snapped forward. Then came an great and terrible roar and next he knew an invisible column of energy cannoned outward, flattening the ground, the trees, and any wildlife unfortunate enough to still linger there for miles in that direction. Naruto barely had an instant to glimpse it before he tumbled to his feet, before he found Shaak Ti bearing down on him, lightsaber raised for a killing stroke.

Her saber blurred down and he moved to meet them, trading blows with her at a frightening pace.

Alarmingly, he found that the tempo had changed.

Left. Right. Parry, shunt, block, riposte, the sudden ferocity of her attack had him on the back foot despite his best efforts, her anger giving her surprising strength. Where was all this pent up rage coming from? Had she truly been repressing her own emotions for so long that she was actually _-gah!_

A glancing blow on his shoulder painfully reminded him of the here-and-now.

Forced into a retreat, he found himself slipping back into one of the more defensive lightsaber forms, Soresu, rather than his more aggressive styles. He'd had to learn this particular form himself, for Vader disdained the very mention of it for reasons he refused to disclose. He was far from a master in this art, and painfully, it showed.

"Soresu?" Shaak Ti frowned, recognizing the style instantly as she cut and parried, driving him back. "You delay the inevitable!"

Naruto didn't grace her with a reply.

He was both the storm and its eye, that raging outer walls and the serene center. Drawing power from his passions he fought fiercely in a tempered sort of restraint, refusing to allow his temper to slip its leash and lead him into a foolish trap. These weren't a pack of amateur Felucians whom he could bat aside with the flick of a wrist; these were Jedi who could easily take both life and limb from him if he wasn't careful. No matter how he might long to lash out, no matter the pull of the dark, he _must not_ kill them. He remained determined to follow his orders. To remain calm. Calm enough to see that this back and forth was getting him nowhere.

Time to switch things up.

As luck would have it, he happened to spy the Fifth Brother's fallen lightsaber nearby, still sprawled out near his corpse.

Silently, he thanked Vader for thinking to instruct him in _this_ particular form of combat.

The Dark Lord was nothing if not thorough in his teachings.

Yes, he decided, that would do nicely.

Launching himself into a wild arc of scarlet, he dove past Shaak Ti and repositioned his sabers, slamming both hilts of his sabers together to lock them into the form of a curved, a double-bladed saber. Before the Jedi Master could realize what he intended he reached out with the Force and _pulled_ with all his will, latching onto the fallen Inquisitor's saber. It flew to him like an arrow knocked from a bow, slapping home in the palm of his hand with a satisfying thud. Naruto frowned at its ungainly design, but it would serve his purpose for the time being. After a moment's fumbling he thumbed it on and brought it to bear, quietly pleased.

"Now, then." he purred. "Let's try this again."

Then, wielding both double bladed sabers like twin staves, he launched himself at Shaak Ti.

The brief lull seemed to have sapped her rage somewhat for instead of attacking, the jedi wilted as he hammered at her defenses. Endless twists and circuits rained down on her from every conceivable angle divided her attention between the two staves and their electrified blades. Naruto found himself too focused on maintaining such an onslaught to speak either; controlling a single saberstaff was difficult enough with two hands alone, but with his

She must've realized it as well; because her dropped and she leaped away...

...into the very pit they'd been circling all this time.

"Are you insane?!"

Naruto reached out for her halfheartedly as she vanished from view, wondering if he should have done more. If his efforts had just prompted the Jedi to commit suicide. Had he pushed too hard? Too far, too soon? The idea that one would willingly take their life, just to get away from him...

That fear vanished when Shaak Ti rose up out of the pit, carried aloft by a towering serpentine appendage. Then another, and another still. Up they rose, higher and higher, looming over him, looking like something out of a bad horror movie. It wasn't until he felt the Jedi's controlling presence wrapped around him that he realized what he faced.

It all made sense, now.

The teeth he'd encountered, the way the ground seemed to tremble whenever he struck it.

A sarlaac pit, he realized.

They'd been fighting around a _bloody sarlaac pit._

"Its over, sith!" Shaak Ti's voice rang down at him, clear and proud. "I have the high ground! Your power is useless to you, now!"

Naruto twirled his staves, gauging the distance, considering.

Surely he could make such a leap-

Then he paused.

A painful memory came to him unbidden, another harsh lesson from his master, one that had nearly cost him his life. He remembered making that foolish leap once before and nearly losing his life for his temerity. He remembered Vader telling him to never, _ever_ be goaded into lunging at someone who'd claimed the high ground. Never to overestimate his own powers. The few times he had, he'd been thrashed within an inch of his life. And here he'd been about to make that very same mistake. He could hear his master's voice, even now. _Pride, boy. That is your greatest weakness. Take care that you don't choke on it._

Inwardly, he cursed himself.

Stupid, foolish boy!

"I ain't falling for that shit again." he declared firmly, hefting his stolen weapon. "I've got a better idea. _Catch."_

"Catch?"

Doubtlessly, Shaak Ti had thought he would give in and leap after her, thereby struck down by his own pride. She _certainly_ wasn't expecting him to lob Inquisitor's saber at her like a discus. By the time she realized his intention it was too late. By then the Fifth Brother's blade was already shrieking forward in a scarlet streak, intending to sever the massive feeding tentacles upon which she perched. He wasn't at all surprised when she flung her own saber to deflect it back at him.

That, of course, was exactly the distraction he'd been waiting for.

In that moment-that split second of inattention on her part-the Empire's Balde shunted his own weapons aside and raised his hands towards the heavens in silent benediction. This would be an effort like no other; even against that rancor he'd never used Force Lightning on such a scale. Fingers curled into claws, clenching as sparks danced between them, the full might of the Dark Side Naruto rushing through his veins. Stubbornly, he pushed back against it, unwilling to allow himself to be consumed by hatred. Tempered focus and anger perhaps, but not hate.

Never hate.

Shaak Ti's surprise stabbed at him through the Force like a knife and she hurriedly bid the beast to crush him, but it was already too late. She was too far away to make a difference and the Sarlaac too large and slow a target. In the very same instant that the monstrosity moved to smash him with one of its feeding tentacles, Naruto unleashed the storm. For a fleeting instant the darkness swallowed him and he experienced sheer euphoria, a strange sort of twisted awe for the primordial energies twisting and writhing within him.

Lightning coursed from his palms, to the tentacles, then the gigantic worm itself and the jedi upon it.

Gasping she tried to redirect the dark side energies but the proved too powerful, too widespread for her to return them to their master.

Naruto growled at the fresh memory of feeling his own body cook inside his armor.

"You want power?!" Blue eyes blazed an eerie molten gold-red as the storm raged through them, devouring beast and jedi alike. "I'll show you power! UNLIMITED POWER!"

Looking back, that was a _horribly_ cliche line, spoken in the heat of the moment.

He'd never hear the end of it from Cody...

* * *

 _(...Meanwhile...)_

* * *

 _"Shit, shit, shit!"_

At that very moment, the Commander was swearing endless imprecations to every deity he could possibly think of. And he knew quite a few! The _Fire Shadow_ rocked around him like a ship caught in one of Kamino's great hurricanes, flung to and fro by those outside. Honed clubs of sharpened bone beat against the ship's hull with increasing regularity and frequency-coupled by the occasional roar of a wild beast. The former he didn't fear in any large capacity, for they couldn't truly do any real damage beyond scuffing the hull and scratch the paint.

It was the _rancor_ that worried him.

By the Force, that was one big son of a...!

"Oh, no." He growled, squeezing the trigger. "No, no, no! No you don't! Get!"

Twin arcs of green light shot outward from turret at the Shadow's underbelly, carving deep trenches into the cliffside.

One such shot grazed the beast, to which it shot him a dark glower.

Still, relentlessly, it came on, ignoring his shots until the turret could no longer turn to track the beast.

"Damnit!"

Abandoning the turret, Cody scrambled up the ladder and hastily reached into his belt.

Thumbing the comlink that had been left behind for him, he keyed up the blond's frequency.

"Uh, kid?" he whispered, keeping his voice low, "I know you're probably busy, but I could really use some help, here."

Static answered.

"Lovely."

A heavy blow shook the Fire Shadow anew, nearly throwing him to the deck.

"Now what?!"

Discarding his comm, the clone clamored back to the bridge.

What he saw there turned his blood cold.

Even from the shredded viewport he could see the great, hulking beast plodding forwards in spite of its wounds, physically _pushing_ the ship with both claws. Slowly, inevitably, spurred on by its rider, the gargantuan beast was making progress, shoving the Fire Shadow towards the very edge he'd been so wary of parking the ship nearby. He didn't want to think of what might happen if that beast succeeded. He'd raised the shields, but if something that large started pounding on them for too long, he wasn't sure how the little vessel would hold out. Worse, it might actually _succeed_ in pushing the ship off the cliff, and then where would they be? Well, _he_ would be dead, that much was certain.

Really, he had no one to blame but himself for his misfortune.

Stay with the ship, Cody, the kid had said.

Be sure and lock the ramp, he'd said.

You'll be safe, he said.

More fool, he!

He'd forgotten about the kriffing natives!

Shortly after Naruto's ill-advised airdrop, Cody had been forced to ignore his first landing zone because of them, abandoning a sturdy-looking bit of fungus for a distant cliff overlooking Felucia's forests. It had seemed safe enough and out of the way...at the time.

Needless to say, he'd been duped.

Somehow, someway, the natives had managed to get the drop on him when he wasn't looking.

 _Sloppy, Cody._ he admonished himself, _You should know better..._

He'd been out of the field for too long. Under any other circumstance, he would've simply taken off again, but that big bastard back there had clipped a fuel line. Now he found that amidst the press of bodies he no longer had that option. They were bold now, no longer frightened by the ships weapons either; warning shots did nothing but cause the Felucians to scatter and they'd since learned the range of them. Clever little bastards had even managed to tie the ship down with some goo-like substance, so escape, even if he could prime the engines, wasn't an option anymore, either.

Now, it seemed he was going to have to fight his way out with nothing more than his blaster rifle and a couple grenades in his belt.

He didn't envy his chances.

If Naruto didn't come back soon.

A white-purple flare of lightning from the viewport answered him. If he could see something like that from all the way up here...

"Well, that's not good."

No backup, then.

Cody sighed.

There were worse ways to go, he supposed.

Death in the line of duty was something to be admired, at any rate. He'd wanted nothing more than to be back in the field, and he'd gotten his wish. He had his youth and vigor back for one last mission, one final task to help an old friend. He just hadn't expected to go out like...well, to go out like this. It seemed too abrupt an end to what he'd envisioned as a clean slate-a fresh start from retirement with the galaxy at his feet. The kid would be sad to see him go, but he'd understand, surely.

Still, if this was to be his end, he was going to take some of those bastards with him.

Steeling himself, the Clone Commander shouldered his rifle, prepared to make for the ramp...

 _And the world shook._

This was a different manner of tremor than the last; the ground beneath his feet seemed to physically _flinch_ as though someone had dealt it a mighty blow. Not a moment later, the relentless grind of the Fire Shadow's backward slide ceased. There was a commotion outside now, a chattering of voices he didn't understand. The natives, no doubt. But why had they stopped? It didn't make any sense. Had the kid come back already? A stray glance toward the rear viewport confirmed that, yes, the spectacle of lightning was still raging well below the cliff, so who-

 _Vzzm!_

Even after all these years, Cody still recognized the telltale sound of a lightsaber's ignition.

For a fleeting instant he was back on Utapu, handing General Kenobi his lightsaber, only to fire on him and watch the man plummet to his death minutes later.

Then he shook himself and he was back in the present.

Peering down through the front viewport, marred with slime as he was, he saw something.

Someone.

From there, he could _just_ glimpse a figure in black.

Though he couldn't seen them from this angle, he could certainly _hear_ the commotion from without. The Felucians were openly shouting at the stranger now in their native tongue, nonsensical gibberish turning shrill-tinged with distress and fear. This had no effect on the interloper whatsoever. They simply leveled their weapon at the natives and stalked forward at them, vanishing beneath the Fire Shadow's armored underbelly. Yet again the sound of the saber rang out, once, twice, thrice, seven times in all, and their shouts were reduced to dying groans.

Their rancor roared then; its cry a sharp, plaintive note that cut off in an abrupt squeal.

The silence that followed soon proved itself suffocating. It was quiet.

Too quiet.

Cody was only just considering venturing out to see what was going on when the ship shuddered, startling him.

"Well, well, well." a woman's smug, voice echoed off the hull. "Aren't you going to let me in? Nevermind, I'll do it myself."

He was even more startled when the ramp inexplicably swung down of its own accord, granting admittance to his savior. Framed against the light, they strode up the ramp at an easy pace, pausing to take in the interior of the vessel. Revealed was a slender young woman with long, flowing dark hair, her body clad in a form-fitting black uniform, and eyes the color of darkness and poisoned honey. She was certainly beautiful if you went for crazy; although the slight, satisfied and utterly _insufferable_ smirk etched into her sinister green face seemed to hint at knowing something more. None of these things mattered to Cody.

It was the red, double-bladed lightsaber that drew his attention.

An Inquisitor.

 _Sithspit._

"Hello, commander." the Seventh Sister purred with a silken smile, her manner smooth as cream. "Can Naruto come out to play?"

* * *

 _(...Near the Ancient Abyss...)_

* * *

"FALL!"

Master and beast alike screamed anew as the powerful current took hold of them once more, countless volts crawling across their seizing bodies and rendering them insensate. Made helpless by the storm, they could only writhe. Even then, Naruto refused to relent. He felt their pain and drew strength from it, further fueling his powers and the raw currents coursing through him. He knew that to relent too soon meant death; the sarlaac would doubtlessly strike out at him in a rage the moment it was free, and after such an attack, he would be in no position to defend.

Still, Shaak Ti's cries made him feel wretched.

With the Dark Side in full sway, it would've been so easy to simply keep pummeling them thus; to continue without a second thought and char her to ash alongside her pet. To just kill them both and be done with-no. This wasn't the way. Chastising himself for that sudden slip, he lowered his hands and cut himself off from the heady power pulsing at his fingertips. Orders aside, he wasn't that sort of person and found himself mildly repulsed that he'd actually _wanted_ to make her suffer.

With all he had, he pulled himself back from the brink and let the lightning gutter out.

Truly the Force must've truly been with Shaak Ti; because not only did she survive, but managed to catch herself as she fell. A tumbling roll and she was down, slowly climbing to her feet, hurt, but alive.

Her "pet" however, was not so fortunate.

A low, piteous warble and the sight of those drooped tentacles told him all he needed to now. In protecting Shaak Ti it had suffered the brunt of his assault. Now it paid for that with its life. A shame. He'd not considered the creature sentient until this moment, nor had he ever thought an overgrown worm could be noble. Despite all his training he took no pleasure in killing animals, no matter how mindless or grotesque they might seem. The Sarlaac had been neither of these apparently, to which a rare thorn of sorrow pricked him and held him back.

Inclining his head to the deceased creature, the Empire's Balde sketched a small bow and offered the only words he knew. They tasted stale and hollow in his mouth.

"I'm sorry." he apologized.

Then he returned his attention to Shaak Ti.

"Are you happy, now, master Jedi?" his words warped into a growl, temper slipping its leash as he stalked towards her, saber spinning. "Am I the monster you think me to be? You've made me butcher your warriors, maim your apprentice, and now, kill your pet. Pray I don't do the same to you! Surrender and end this foolishness!"

She raised her head at his approach, panting.

"I will not...yield...

Naruto snarled.

 _"Imbecile!"_

He didn't give her time to utter anymore of her inane drivel, sweeping his double-bladed staff down at her face. Startled by the sudden ferocity of his assault and the genuine anger behind it, Shaak Ti only narrowly blocked the blow and immediately stumbled for her efforts. Naruto pounced on this fresh weakness and pushed the Torgrutan jedi back and away from the pit. Now it was Ti who found herself firmly on the defensive once more, her flagging speed barely enough to evade his wild swings. But she wasn't beaten.

Not yet.

Even in her battered state and with her strength failing, the Togrutan Jedi managed one last wild lunge, clipping the southern end of his staff and rendering its blade useless to him with a shower of sparks. Enraged, the blond discarded the powerless half of his weapon and aimed a vicious crosscut at her chest.

He realized his mistake a heartbeat later.

Weakened as she was by the onslaught of Force Lightning, Shaak Ti was too weary to resist him any longer. Their battle had dragged on for far too long, her immense reserves too taxed to maintain the strength needed to face him. Against his raging offense her guard held for but a moment longer before it broke and she made a fatal mistake, blocking high, when he struck low. Naruto instinctively hammered down against this mistake relentlessly, forcing her arm out, further and further to the left, until...

 _"Aaargh!"_

...his blade sliced through her wrist.

For the first time since the battled had begun, Shaak Ti dropped her composure and blade both, crumpling to the ground with a choked scream. Her blade sailed up and Naruto caught it even as sank to her knees to try and clutching at the ruined remains of her severed wrist.

Scowling, he levered both sabers-red and blue-beneath her chin in a scissoring formation.

Shaak Ti went still.

A single tug would be all it took to remove her head, and she knew it.

"You are beaten!" he hissed, panting, "Its useless to-

"Master!"

Batting aside Master Ti's clumsy lunge for her hilt, the Apprentice spun and drove an armored boot into her torso, hurling her away just in time to see Mariss emerge from her force cloak. Impossibly she'd risen yet again, her fractured lightsaber tonfas blazing a murderous green circle at his face. Instinct snarled at him, and his body snapped backward just in time, nearly laying itself horizontal to the ground to avoid the blow. Instead of taking his head as their owner had doubtlessly intended, the hot sting of her jaden blades hissed across the bridge of his nose in an angry red line, scarring him, but sparing his life.

 _Pain._

 _Anger._

 _Hatred._

Why didn't they give up?!

Waves upon waves of wrath fueled him and he snarled, a telekinetic thrust ripping the Zabrak from her feet to cannon her into her master. They collided violently, tumbling into the dirt, and he had to forcibly restrain himself from giving chase as the Dark Side sang in his veins. He resisted it with only the greatest of efforts.

Instead the Empire's Blade climbed slowly to his feet, rubbing his newest scar ruefully.

"No more," he declared as he rose, casting Brood's weapons aside into the abyss with a thought. "You're beaten. Surrender peacefully and you'll be spared. Don't make me destroy you."

"Destroy us?" Shaak Ti ground out through clenched teeth against her own agony, "Who are you to say such things? We fight for peace!"

Naruto chuckled bitterly, Jedi, peaceful? Ha! That would be the day! What kind of a fool did she take him for?!

"Then tell me this Master Ti: how are Jedi peacekeepers if they fight in galactic wars? How can they say that emotions are forbidden, when they know that you can't stop yourself or others from having them? And how can the Jedi say that they don't form attachments, when each and every one of them know that they form attachments with either their men, friends, and even fellow Jedi? None of them could be called peacekeepers if they fight in a war and take people's lives. None of them could stop someone from having emotions, because emotions are what separates living beings from droids. And now the part that shows how the Jedi Code makes the order weak. If you don't form attachments, then what is there to fight for? If you die, what would it have been worth? If you don't have something to protect, fight for, or die for, then who would remember you? It isn't balance...might as well program lightsaber fighting forms into droids, the Jedi are so cold, unfeeling and indifferent!

The Jedi believed in utter detachment and complete emotionless as a state of being, yet without attachment, there's nothing to produce a sense of loyalty; without emotion, you have no regard for the lives of others since you lack things like compassion or guilt. Yet in spite of that, the Jedi are supposed to have morality? How? How can you expect something that lacks emotions to care for the lives of others? How can you know that something without attachments won't betray you or anyone else since they can't develop loyalties? How can you have something like that, yet expect it to possess morality and keep others safe? You can't!"

The female Togruta Jedi Master frowned at that.

This...wasn't what she expected.

A philosophical debate with a Sith assassin about the nature of the Jedi Code? Unheard of!

Seeing Mariss staring at the young Sith assassin in shock over what he'd just said did not help put the Jedi Master at ease. She sighed, hardening her features.

"You are Vader's slave. But your power is wasted with him. You could be so much more."

Naruto smirked bitterly. "I already know I'm my Master's weapon. I lay waste to all that stands in his path. All I know is the ways of the Empire, I've never been anything else. And what would there be in turning on the only thing I've ever known? And all for what? A dead order that discarded their hearts in the name of power, failed at ensuring security of their members, or allegience to the Force instead of governing bodies? After all, that's why Mace Windu tried to kill the Emperor back when he was a Chancellor and take over the Old Republic for himself as the mastermind for and during the Jedi Rebellion that made you Jedi have to be put down!"

Shaak Ti frowned at that, as much as she didn't much like him being spoken ill of, she couldn't deny that Mace Windu had possessed his faults.

Mace Windu had a unique personality for a Jedi. He was serious, noted for his grim demeanour, and very cautious, to the point of occasional reluctance, a careful chooser of his friends, being slow to trust or being mistrustful. Despite this, he was highly compassionate and extremely brave, as he willingly risked life and limb many times to protect the people of the Republic, as well as his fellow Jedi and even the clone troopers under his command. He also firmly believed in the role of the Jedi as the Republic's servants and displayed a fierce dedication to the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic alike. A staunch traditionalist, Mace was long regarded as the great champion of the Jedi Order.

However, despite these positive traits, Mace was also rather arrogant and self-righteous; he was very-perhaps even a little too-confident in his own abilities, and saw very little fault in the Jedi or the Republic, believing they were always in the right and everyone else was in the wrong. He was prideful, known to be outspoken, occasionally sarcastic, and was largely obstinate to anything that contradicted his views. However, he kept his arrogance in check for the most part; he was humble towards individuals he believed were superior to him, such as Yoda, and treated most civilians and fellow Jedi with respect. Despite this, Mace didn't always hold his arrogance in check; he was shown to be somewhat cold, arrogant and dismissive towards individuals he believed were inferior to him, most notably fellow Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn, Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano, all of whom he distrusted and treated with little respect despite them all being exceptionally powerful Force-users, skilled lightsaber duelists, strong characters and loyal members of the Jedi Order in their own rights.

As a Jedi, Mace was intelligent and wise. However he was somewhat short-sighted, as he had a habit of underestimating the younger generation of Jedi, nor did he realize that his constant mistrust, lies and deceit towards Anakin were slowly turning him against the Jedi Order. When Ahsoka was accused of treason and murder, Mace was unable to see that she had actually been framed and was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

During Ahsoka's trial, Mace took his distrusting nature too far, to the point where he openly accused Ahsoka of lying to the Jedi Council and then coldly decided to strip her of her status as a Jedi and turn her over to the Republic military, an act that (to Shaak Ti's shame) most of the other Council members agreed with. After learning of her innocence, Mace joined the Council in offering to reinstate Ahsoka into the Jedi Order, but instead of taking responsibility for his actions, he claimed that Ahsoka's traumatic experience had been nothing more than a test given to her by the Force. When Ahsoka left the Order for good, Mace, unlike the others who were very sad to see her leave, only seemed disgusted; as she walked away, he frowned and his fists clenched. That was because he was not only incapable of acknowledging or learning from his mistakes, but he was also incapable of apologizing or admitting when he was wrong.

Ultimately, Mace's true motivation for all he did was a divergence from Jedi philosophy, as his personal belief system was an extremist viewpoint of peace at all costs. In his mind, peace was created by only one thing; civilization, and he viewed the Republic as the ultimate and only true civilization in the entire galaxy, thus developing an attachment towards the institution, and leaving him with a willingness to do anything to preserve the Republic, even if it meant violating the Jedi Code.

Small wonder why the Empire would scapegoat someone like that for regicide.

Still, that didn't mean she agreed with him entirely.

"Do yo truly despite the light that much?"

Naruto offered only a frown.

"Look...nothing personal, but my mission is to capture you alive, Master Ti," Extinguishing his sabers, he returned them to his belts. "If I don't do this or if I fail, the Empire'll bombard the planet from orbit. Please, just surrender and come quietly."

Shaak Ti stared. Shocked. Both at the Empire's tactics, as well as the genuine horror and remorse at the sheer idea of such an event happening her young opponent held. She looked up, thrusting her senses upwards with the Force, alarmed when she discovered he was right.

She looked back at the boy, truly taking time to register his appearance for the first time. His wild blond hair that stood up all over like the spines of a sea urchin, those trio of pencil-thin, groove-like markings that resembled whiskers on each cheek. The fresh scar on his nose, carved into him by Marriss's last, desperate attack. His immersion in the Dark Side of the Force seemed to physically reflect through his pale skin and the luminous, sulfuric yellow of his eyes.

And yet...

When she looked deeper, she saw light.

"I see...mercy and fairness." she murmured in disbelief, unable to believe what she was sensing. "And perhaps...compassion? Your actions reflect darkness, yet...also light? You claim to be an agent of the dark side, but its a mask? What is this? Who are you?"

"That can't be!" Mariss interjected, forcing herself off her hands and knees, "Sith embody pure evil! Its a trick!" she glowered at him fiercely, uncertain. "You're lying."

"I am what I am." Naruto replied wearily, folding his arms before his battered chest. "I can't claim to be anyone or anything else. Let my actions speak for me. I had ample opportunity to kill you both multiple times-but I didn't. Despite, I might add, several sneak attacks on your part, horn head!"

Mariss balked.

"Horn head?!"

"You heard me," the blond retorted cheekily. "Now stay down, or I'll have to zap you again."

 _There it was again._

There was mercy in his every action; for all his goading and taunting, he'd yet to end them. Even though it was well within his power, still he held back. Nor had he tried to turn them to the Dark Side as she'd expected he might. His pleas for their surrender were heartfelt. Genuine.

Shaak Ti looked at him, realization dawning. "You're a Light Sith..."

Naruto froze.

...I'm not a Light Sith! YOU'RE a Light Sith! What the hell IS a Light Sith anyway?!"

In spite of her wounds, Shaak Ti felt herself smile.

"Must you deflect everything with humor?"

"Its how I cope with difficult shit, alright?!" The Apprentice sighed, pinching the brow of his nose. "Ow! Shit, that hurts!" he hissed, flinching as he reached down for her ruined palm, "Look, I don't know what a Light Sith is, but can we please call an end to this already?" I'd like to be able to reattach your hand while we still can, ya know."

Shaak Ti colored.

"What guarantee do we have that you won't kill us the moment we lower our guard?" Brood challenged hotly.

Naruto arched an eyebrow, mildly offended.

"Other than the fact that I could have killed you already?"

"Sith...!"

"Fine. You have my word." he swore. "No harm will come to you while you are in my custody. So do I swear by the Force."

"Not the Dark side?" Shaak Ti posited curiously.

"The Force is the Force, Jedi." Naruto snapped, refusing to fall for the jab. "Dark and Light. Now, do we have an accord?"

"How strange...I sense you are sincere."

She saw only one path out of this, only one course that didn't end with her death and the planet in ashes, its people slaughtered. Had it been her alone, she would have gone to her death willingly. But with Mariss's life, no, the life of everyone on this planet dangling in the balance the line...what other option did she have? If she yielded to him now she could change her mind-and possibly that of her captor-later, she told herself. If she survived. If the Sith held true to his word. If Vader didn't slay her on the spot. If Sidious didn't order their execution. So many ifs. So many risks, and yet...

Naruto blinked as she knelt before him.

"We submit...teach us your ways."

Awkward silence followed.

For but a moment.

And then:

 _...eh?!"_

* * *

 _(...Several Long Minutes Later...)_

* * *

It was a tired and ramshackle group that finally found their way back to the Fire Shadow some time afterward.

Their trek proved slow going indeed, for the Jedi's wounds had truly begun to manifest themselves as had Naruto's own; he'd sustained lightsaber wounds in dozens of areas, suffered burns from having his own Force Lightning redirected at him by Shaak Ti, fractured a few ribs, and judging by the intense pain radiating from his left leg, broken something. Likely his armor was all that held him together at the moment, even as his regeneration struggled to put him back together.

"What's taking so long, Sith?"

"My name. Is. Naruto. Not Sith." Pausing to peel back a branch for them, the blond shot his charges a dark glower. "Stop calling me that."

Shaak Ti herself had grown quite pale, and he suspected she'd pushed her own body to the breaking point against him. Perhaps he'd overdone it with the lightning. In fact, he was almost certain he had. The loss of her hand wasn't helping, and she looked as though she go into shock at any moment. But by will alone she shoulder on, politely nodding as she ducked beneath the branch he'd moved for her.

By contrast Mariss was faring far better, though she favored her right side and hissed like a cat at him whenever he came too close.

He suspected the last part had more to do with shocking her one too many times than any actual injury.

Honestly, how could he weasel that Force Cloak technique out of her when she was being so hissy?

"Brood," he groused, "More like _Broody..._

"I heard that!"

"Bah!"

Still, they managed to reach his ship just before the sun dipped over the horizon, its last fading rays of light lingering to guide their way. It would've proved far easier if Cody hadn't parked the ship on such a high ridge, but beggars couldn't be choosers he supposed. Judging by the dead Felucians surrounding the craft, he'd had to fight to keep it there at all. There was even a dead Rancor sprawled out near the cliff. He'd really have to ask how his old commander had managed to take down one of those by himself as he brought up the rear-

A prickling sensation in the Force was his only warning.

Not so much a shriek of danger as alerting him to the presence of another Dark Side wielder; as such he wasn't entirely surprised when a shadow detached itself from the underbelly of the ship and crept up behind him. By then, he was perfectly aware of the Seventh Sister well before she flung her arms around his neck and spooned him from behind. Naruto sighed, knowing better than to try fighting her off, and the ruckus that would undoubtedly ensue. If she wanted to make a scene, then by all means she was welcome to it later...but why did it have to be here and now?

She always did have a penchant for the worst timing.

"You're not supposed to be here." he sighed, the words a whisper as the dark curtain of her hair tickled his face. "But you know that, don't you?"

"Bad, bad boy," she cooed into his ear, ignoring him. "Going off on a hunt and not telling me, hogging all the glory for yourself, toying with your prey...

"I had my orders. C'mon, get off already."

"Ha! You'll have to make me, Blade!"

Shaak Ti and Mariss...

...not so much.

With their senses muddled by the Dark Side, the Jedi weren't aware of the Inquisitor until she revealed herself with that delighted shout. As one they spun. Well, Shaak Ti tried to turn, but managed little more than half of a revolution before her weakness got the best of her. Mariss proved herself more spry, rounding on the smug Darksider with a scowl.

"Another one?!"

"Poor Jedi, you didn't even notice me until I let you...

Had they still possessed their blades, they would've drawn them on the spot.

"It seems you've gone soft, Naruto." Stepping away from him, the Inquisitor ignited her blade. "Perhaps I should put these two out of their misery...?"

"Never, Sith!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Sensing the oncoming conflict, Naruto flung up a hand in both directions. "Let's all calm down! No attacking! They're my prisoners! I gave my word!"

The Seventh Sister sulked.

"You're no fun."

"Neither are you, always trying to steal my prey." he sighed as she deactivated her blade. "Do I even have to ask why you're here?"

"I was in the area." she looked away, refusing to meet his gaze.

 _"Don't make me use your name."_

"Alright, alright!" the Seventh Sister wilted under his stare with a glower. "Stupid spoilsport. I hunted you down so I could brag, really." Thus beaming, she reached behind her back and retrieved what appeared to be a slender-looking pike from her back." she seemed to take a sadistic pleasure in activating the weapon, bathing the night in blue relief. "Behold the famed weapon of _Kazdan Paratus, slain on Raxus Prime by my hand!"_

Mariss groaned and hid her face.

"No...!"

"Oh, yes. You should have heard him _scream._ It was glorious-

A withering look from Naruto silenced her boast.

"That still doesn't answer my question."

"Neither did you." the Seventh Sister replied coyly, all but batting her eyelashes at him as she extinguished her trophy and once more bound it to her back. "And if not for me, your precious ship would be a flaming ruin at the bottom of this abyss. In any case, our beloved Fifth Brother mysteriously vanished a few hours ago in this system. You wouldn't happen to _know_ anything about that, would you, Blade?"

Naruto swiftly mastered himself.

"Nope. Never heard of him."

"Oh?" the Seventh Sister grinned, sensing the subtle revelation in his words. "If he doesn't exist as you say it would seem a promotion is in order, for me. Hmm. Fifth Sister." she cocked her head, sounding her new title out. "Doesn't quite have the same ring to it as seventh, but it'll do."

 _Sneaky, clever little thing!_

"Alright, that's enough. I appreciate you helping Cody, but-

"Cody?" Shaak Ti, silent and grieving until this very moment, perked up at the mention of the clone's name. "Commander Cody?"

"The one and the same."

A soft voice from the ramp caused all eyes to turn towards the Fire Shadow's ramp. Naruto wasn't surprised to find Cody there, crouched near the hatch as though he expected to be attacked at any moment. Shaak Ti pushed past him, her gentle face replete with sorrow.

"Cody...

The cloned looked away, radiating guilt.

"It's...good to see you in one piece, general." his gaze flicked to the stump of her wrist, pained. "Well, mostly." Abruptly, his visage hardened. "But that's not why I'm here." Steeling himself, the Commander stood and briskly marched past his former allies, thought not, Naruto noticed, without a supreme effort. He wasn't expecting his old friend to stop before him and press a small holoprojector into his palm.

"Cody, what is-

"Transmission coming in for you, kid. Might want to take this in private."

"Who is it?"

"Oh, no one important...just the Emperor."

Mariss hissed furiously.

Naruto bolted upright.

"Come again?!"

Before he could finish, the clone stormed away, and the Jedi were making themselves scarce inside the ship. That was one conversation Naruto was more than happy to be excluded from.

Judging by Mariss's vocal protests, it was going to be a loud one at that.

"Well," The Seventh Sister inquired, "Aren't you going to answer?"

He'd never seen the man in person before, much less spoken to him. That the great Palpatine himself would deign to speak with him was something of an honor. A privilege, really. It would allow him to meet the mighty one and make his own assumptions. From what he understood he _was_ Vader's master and that he was responsible for the safety and upkeep of the Empire, but that was where his admittedly limited knowledge ended. It would behoove him to broaden his horizons and the rule of the galaxy for himself, he decided.

He wasn't expecting the image of a wizened old man in dark robes, more so as he found himself face to face with the small hologram.

"Ah, we meet at last." leaning on a cane as he was, he seemed surprisingly small, almost frail, even. Ancient eyes peered past him, "And I see the Seventh Sister has completed her own task as well. Good, good. Lord Vader speaks most highly of your accomplishments, my boy." He sounded most kind, like a doting grandfather. "

"He did?" That left Naruto slightly taken aback.

"Indeed. Tell me, have you completed your mission? Are the traitorous jedi dealt with?"

"They have submitted to me, yes." Naruto admitted warily, before the Seventh Sister could otherwise interject. "I plan to return to Vader on Mustafar for my next task-

"Do as you will. Afterward, I require your presence in the Lothal system. It has been rife with strife as of late and requires a steady hand to restore order. See to it that they are eliminated."

"Eliminated? But, surely we can find another way-

Palpatine frowned.

For a moment there, he thought he had seen something lurking beneath that kindly facade. As if the mere mention of his master had stirred something in the Emperor. Whatever it was, it vanished before he could read into it, replaced by that eerie, calm expression. Something inside Naruto quailed at it, instinctive obedience compelling him to obey. Fear. How long had it been since he'd felt that? That old, cold dread...

"It will be as you say." he inclined his head in subservience.

"Yes, yes, excellent." The Emperor rasped in approval. "I expect great things from you, my boy. Continue your efforts, and together, we will bring peace and stability to the Empire."

That was the problem with emotions, you blushed readily.

"I won't let you down."

Palpatine smiled.

 _"I'm certain you won't."_

With that, the transmission ended in a stutter of blue. Naruto's smile faded and he closed his hand over the holoprojector until he felt it begin to fracture, then crack. Metal and plasteel bent beneath his grip and still he squeezed, uncaring as sparks spit between his grasp and singed his fingers He didn't release his hold on the projector until it was a mangled mess of wires and circuitry in his hands. What he saw there unnerved him. A dark, nameless dread began to take root in him. His hand...trembled. He understood that he was a weapon, a tool, a Blade, but just now, for him to actually feel fear, to be told to _kill_ all who opposed him, innocent or not...

"Lothal, hmm?" the Seventh Sister hummed, heedless of his inner turmoil. "Excellent. This, is going to be glorious."

"Perhaps." Naruto conceded. "I'll see you there, then."

"So you shall." she grinned wickedly, retreating. "Try not to torment the Jedi too much while I'm gone."

"No promises."

One final laugh, a startling, lingering kiss, and she was gone.

The Empire's Blade muttered a halfhearted farewell and watched her make her way to her own craft, looking on as it cleared the horizon.

When he was certain she was gone, he took Shaak Ti's lightsaber from his belt and held it up in his hand, considering her words. A Light Sith. What did that mean? Regardless, it was a fine blade, and would serve as an admirable replacement for the one he'd lost. Red and blue. Dark and light. Passion and tempered morality. Was this how others saw him? As something between light and dark? He did not feel a pull to the Light in a true sense of the word, but neither did he think to shun it. For all their flaws and crimes, the Jedi were still wrong. Or so he had been led to believe. Where they right? And if so, did that make Vader-

No, he refused to dwell on that. To dwell was to think of impossible things; horrible haunting thoughts that ate at him like worms.

Whatever the case, he needed to return to Mustafar and make his report, as well as deliver the jedi to Vader.

From there, he would follow his master's will and try to take solace in the purpose it gave him.

After a moment's pause, he started towards the Fire Shadow and the voices within.

All the while, doubt gnawed at him.

 **A/N: THE PLOT THICKENS! Naruto's beginning to wonder if the Empire is as "good" as he has been led to believe and with doubt, the gears begin to turn...**

 **Time will only tell if he sticks with it or joins the Rebellion.**

 **So in the Immortal Words of the Emperor himself...**

 **...yes, use your emotions! Give in! REVIEW!**

 **And of course, enjoy the preview!**

 **Its twofold!**

 **(Preview!)**

 _"The Force is with you, young one. But you are not a Jedi yet."_

 _Ezra bristled warily, raising his blade to defend himself._

 _"Oh, this is going to end poorly..._

* * *

 _Naruto turned his gaze to the twin suns and frowned intently._

 _Something about this blasted wasteland of a planet..._

 _...something was calling to him._

 _But what, exactly?_

 **=D**


	4. There is Only Passion

**A/N: HELLO ALL YOU GUYS AND GALS! I'M BACK WITH ANOTHER MASSIVE CHAPTER! So, people are asking about potential Darth names for Naruto.**

 **This far, we have a few in the running. Navar, Imperious, Strom, among others.**

 **Keep those Pm's and reviews coming!**

 **Most of you had your questions replied to already, so I'll go with the few left unanswered.**

 **Q: I caught that easter egg with the titles. Peace is a lie. Is the next chapter going to be the second line in the Sith Code?**

 **A: Bingo!**

 **Q: Now wait a minute! Am I correct in assuming Naruto and the Seventh Sister are...involved?**

 **A: The Seventh Sister fancies Naruto, certainly. She respects his power and lust after it for herself, but there's definitely an attraction there as well. She's used to getting her way through either charm or brute force, hence her forward behavior whenever the Empire's Blade is present. Whether he reciprocates such feelings remain to be seen.**

 **Q: Please don't make Naruto kill the Jedi! That's not your intention, is it?**

 **A: I have plans for Shaak Ti and Brood. Whether or not those plans end with them, dead, well...this chapter sheds some light on that.**

 **Q: What, exactly, is the extent of Vader and Naruto's relationship?**

 **A: Alright, I suppose I should clarify things. Vader is the master, clearly, and Naruto the apprentice. Naruto views him as a father of sorts, the only real influential figure in his life. On some, distant level Vader sees worth in his apprentice beyond that of a tool, though he'd never speak it aloud. Remember, he all but raised Naruto from a babe to the strapping young sith he is now. In a twisted way, he sees him as what could have been as Anakin, if he hadn't destroyed himself. To Vader, the mere mention of the dreaded F-word, that is to say, "Father" brings back painful memories, and it causes him to lash out.**

 **Q: Cody isn't going to be able to stop Naruto, is he?**

 **A: Cody may be a dear friend of our beloved blond, but his influence pales in comparison to that of Vader's.**

 **Q: Am I sensing some symbolism in ol' Naruto keeping Shaak Ti's blade?**

 **A: Yes, yes you are. =D**

 **Q: We get a glimpse of Kurama at last! Is he biding his time?**

 **A: He'll make his debut soon, and it'll be something to see.**

 **Thanks as ever to Dylan Millwood for helping me out with this chapter.**

 **Oh, and do try not to laugh too much, because this is going to be a WILD ride...**

 **So with that, I hope you all have a lovely day/evening, plug in some headphones, and get ready for a good ol' fashioned story...**

 **Also, let's remember Shaak Ti and Mariss have been out of touch with the galaxy for a LONG time. Needless to say, they're not up to date on current events. In a sense, Shaak Ti knows more than most about Vader, yet woefully little...**

 **Enjoy!**

 _"I have a gift for you, apprentice."_

 _"What, seriously? Didn't know you cared."_

 ** _"BOY."_**

 _"Alright, alright..._

 _~a discussion with the Empire's Blade._

 **There Is Only Passion**

 _Darth Vader was waiting._

Naruto could sense him awaiting his arrival in the citadel like a dark cloud, a mighty storm waiting to break upon its enemies. From the first moment the Fire Shadow dropped out of hyperspace, the crushing weights of his dark master's regard had fixated upon him and his charges. It hadn't deviated since. Even now as Cody guided the nimble craft towards the planet he could feel his mentor probing his thoughts; radiating wrath at his enemies, smoldering satisfaction in his triumph and-dare he say it aloud?-a glimmer of pride. The blond exhaled a quiet breath of relief. Good. He was pleased with him...for now.

One did not recklessly anger a Dark Lord of the Sith.

Even he, with his veiled taunts only went so far.

Vader was many things to him, lord, master, perhaps even a father-though he'd never speak it aloud for fear of immediate retribution-but he did not wish to make an enemy of him. Having seen what he did to those he considered a foe...well, if such a thing _were_ to happen he suspected he might fare better than most. Still, he had no desire to poke that gundark. A thorn of pride pricked him and held him back. He _wanted_ to believe he was Vader's equal, no perhaps even his better-

 _'The hell am I thinking?'_

Clenching the fingers of his right hand into a firm fist, Naruto ruthlessly slugged himself in the face with all his might. A bloody tooth flew from his mouth and sailed across the cockpit as he staggered back half a step; a successor having already grown back in the time it took to complete its short flight. Sense swallowed pride, and the spark died. Shaking his head, the sith righted himself with an effort. Arrogance was too dangerous to indulge; it had been the ruin of so many before him and he'd nearly succumbed to it now in a moment of weakness.

"Ah." he sighed, feeling the tension leave him. "Better."

"There a particular reason why you just slugged yourself, kid?" Cody asked.

Naruto sighed and shot his old friend and teacher a rueful look.

"Just knocking some sense into myself."

"Well don't knock too hard." the clone chuckled, adjusting their descent. "Lord Vader won't be happy if you accidentally kill yourself."

"Don't I know it."

Rubbing his sore jaw, the Apprentice headed aft, trusting Cody's able skills to chart them a course to the landing zone. Ignoring his brief burst of pride just now, the journey to Mustafar had proven a surprisingly quiet one thus far, all things considered. Boring, even. Whatever words Cody had shared with Mariss and Shaak Ti were spoken in confidence and he'd no desire to know them. Didn't he? Doubt gnawed at him anew and irritated, the whiskered warrior rolled his shoulders and he hastened his pace to the ship's hold. As he neared his destination, his heightened senses caught the tangled threads of conversation. Unconsciously, he wrapped himself in the Force and slowed, softening his footsteps and muting his presence.

...going to die, aren't we?" Brood lamented as he drew closer.

"Peace, Marriss." Shaak Ti's voice soothed. "The Force will provide."

"The Force?!" the padawan's voice cracked in disbelief, her words warped by the ray shielding of their prison. "That kind of thinking is what put us here!"

"He's kept his word so far." though he couldn't see the jedi master from where he stood, her voice radiated strength. Surety, even. "I seen no reason to doubt him. Did he not reattach my hand as he said he would? He could have slain us a thousand times now, yet instead he has seen to our needs. Shown us fairness. Mercy. Is that the way of the dark side?"

"He's still a sith!" Mariss insisted.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Regardless, he has my trust."

Naruto was so startled by this that he nearly lost control of his cloak.

After a moment's consideration he abandoned his present course and headed towards the galley.

If they were going to meet Vader in person, the least he could do was provide them with one last meal.

His hands worked in practiced movements as he plucked out a matte-grey tray and piled foodstuffs atop it, which mostly amounted to crudely made sandwiches and ration bars.

Perhaps this would help ease their hunger, if not their fears.

Hunted by his words as they were, haunted by the realization that they were being shipped to the man responsible for murdering most of their hallowed order, he couldn't blame them. They might very well be the last remaining jedi. For all their high and mighty platitudes he could feel their fear in the Force; snakes of incorporeal terror writhing and twisting within. Another talent of his. His heart gave a slight wrench at the thought, one he stubbornly shook off in spite. Should he not feel sympathy for the enemy? Shaak Ti had fought with courage and valor-slightly less so for her padawan-that alone had earned her his respect. He'd given them his word that they wouldn't be harmed, but he couldn't make any promises where Vader was concerned. Of course they feared their end. It was only natural.

It seemed they were troubled enough already.

Almost as if seemed there were no hope left for their kind.

"What in the...?!"

The vision slammed into him without warning, sending him stumbling into a wall. He no longer saw it.

Already his eyes were elsewhere:

 _He turned his gaze upward to the twin suns above and frowned intently._

 _"Where...?_

 _Heat._

 _Heat and fire consumed him as he squinted up at the blazing orbs. Lost. He was lost. The realization perturbed him and he turned on his heel, finding only empty dunes of sand. Still the suns beat down on him like a physical force, their searing heat cutting through his dark robes like a knife. Why was he here? In that sliver of eternity he was vaguely aware of his surroundings; on some level he knew this wasn't real. He was not here, not really in this desert, but back in his ship. Yet it **felt** real. Painfully, excruciatingly real._

 _Something about this blasted wasteland of a planet..._

 _...something was calling to him._

 _But what, exactly?_

 ** _"You shouldn't be here."_**

 _A firm hand clamped down on his shoulder from behind, startling him. Years of i_ _nstinct kicked in and he shook his attacker off to round on them, igniting his lightsaber in an instant. A blade the color of azure skies met him halfway, sending sparks skittering wildly across his vision, momentarily blinding him. In the ensuing glare, he detected the vaguest outline of a man, his face hidden by a hood. For a fleeting instant he glimpsed what might have been a bearded visage beyond, then nothing._

 _"Who's there?!" he growled._

 _Too late; the blade cut across his eyes and_ _d_ _arkness consumed him._

"Aaargh!"

With a roar, Naruto's world came rushing back all at once; the vision abandoning him as abruptly as it came over him. All that remained was the blinding glare, the still-burning saber in his hand, and a blazing migraine pounding against his temples. Miraculously he'd managed to hold onto the tray despite all, being caught in the throes of his vision and flailing about. Reluctantly he extinguished his saber and returned it to his belt. This did little to assuage his ragged nerves. He might as well have thrown mud at a rancor for all the good it did him.

 _'What the hell was that?'_ Trembling fingers touched at his eyes, reminding that they were still present. Still functioning. That he wasn't blind. His mind was another matter. When he closed his eyes he still experienced it, a blazing heat as though someone had thrust a red-hot iron through his face. _'It felt like I was there! The heat! The pain...!'_

What had that vision meant?

A desert?

Twin suns?

He was fairly certain he knew a planet like that-

"Everything alright back there?" Cody's voice rang from the cockpit, a hot iron against his already frayed thoughts, severing them entirely.

Sputtering, the sith righted himself.

"I'm fine!" Naruto replied a touch too sharply. "Just...fine."

Disquieted by the unexpected vision, he'd mustered his composure and marched back to the holding cells. This time he didn't bother to conceal his presence from the jedi; only warding his emotions from them. Toward his physical presence he made no such effort-the deliberate tread of his boots announced his presence long before he reached his prisoners. Thus he found them awaiting him in silence, rather than intruding upon their conversation as he had before. A pity. He would've liked to glean more information from them and had he been in a better state of mind, would've tried to do so.

Remembering his manners at the last moment, he inclined his head in a curt nod toward them and their shared cell.

"Enjoying the flight?"

Mariss jerked her sullen gaze toward the wall and ignored him outright, an irritated snarl conveying all she wished to say on the matter. Her anger was wasted on Naruto; he embraced her rage, fed on it, and moved on. Just a sad sapling, one not worth wasting his time on while she sulked. By comparison Shaak Ti was a mighty oak; wounded and uprooted by battle perhaps, but she hid her fear well. Had he not fought her himself, had they not clashed sabers and taken one another's measure, he might have thought she was planning something. Now, he knew better. For all her brave facade, the togrutan jedi was even more exhausted than her angry padawan. Now, she merely seemed...

...tired.

"How's the hand?" he inquired, approaching the barrier door.

"...well." she conceded, carefully flexing her fingers into a small fist. Thank you for asking. Ah." Her eyes strayed to the stolen saber at his belt-her weapon-and he thought he saw a spark of rare emotion within them. "I see you've become well-acquainted with my lightsaber, sith." was that a note of accusation he detected? Did she think he'd bled the crystal already? "Hopefully it will serve you better than it did me."

Naruto permitted himself a wry smirk.

"A hunter must have his trophies. You break mine, I take yours. But enough about that. Care for a meal?" He hefted the tray for emphasis with its unappealing contents. "I know its probably not anything you're used to, but I can't cook to save my life. Sandwiches and rations are the best I can do. Afraid it'll have to do." To his disbelief, she actually favored him with a small smile.

"You're too kind."

"Now, now." he wagged a finger. "Flattery will get you nowhere."

"Well _I_ don't want anything from _you."_ Brood grumbled, nevertheless watching him move to the keypad. "You can shove your gruel up your-

"Ohoho! She speaks!" chuckling softly, he aproa the code; a swift tap of numbers deactivated the shields.

"Computer. Deactivate ray shields. Code Orange."

What? Orange was a perfectly acceptable color!

What happened next was entirely expected.

 _"Die!"_

"See, _this_ why we can't get along!"

In one smooth movement, the blond tossed the tray and its contents up and into the air. Shunting her blow aside, he calmly levered Mariss into the wall and pinned her there with his right hand. In the same motion he reached out and crooked two fingers toward Shaak Ti in an upward motion, pinning the jedi master against the ceiling before she could think to aid her prone padawan. Just like that their brief little rebellion died before it could truly begin. A heartbeat later and the tray landed neatly against his outstretched fingers, not a single morsel wasted.

Naruto sighed.

"Now look, I _said_ no harm will come to you." he warned, his tone taking on a dark edge. "I said that and I meant it. I'm a man of my word, ya know. _However,_ " here he growled and tightened his grasp on each of them, "Don't expect me to take you lightly because of it. Understand?" rising to his feet, he deposited the tray on the bench and released his hold on them both. "There was no point in attacking me. You never had any chance of escape to begin with." Snapping his fingers, he uttered the command code a second time, effectively reactivating the shields and sealing himself in the cage with his captives in the cell once more. "Don't try that shit again."

Thankfully neither made a move toward him when he stepped away.

Shaak Ti proved the first to recover from her ill-fated assault, reluctantly propping herself up against the wall with her good arm. After a moment's consideration, she laid claim to one of the unwrapped ration bars and sank her teeth into it, chewing quietly. Naruto watched her intently, prepared for any deception. If there was one thing he'd learned from Vader it was how to read people. There was a fine line between being prepared and full-blown paranoia, and he was careful not to cross into that territory. It was one skill he'd taken to more than most; being able to read those around him. And he felt no such emotion from Shaak Ti.

...my apologies." she murmured, swallowing. "I admit, you're not what I expected."

Slightly intrigued, the apprentice lingered, resting his back against the wall.

"What did you expect?"

"Wrath. Hatred. Spite." the jedi demurred with an exhausted shrug. "You have shown none of these things. Were it not for the glimmer of darkness I sense within you, I'd think you a grey jedi. You claim to be Sith, yet I sense in you compassion. Kindness. Mercy. You show none of the viciousness of your kind. If I you pressed me to describe it, I'd have to say," her dark eyes flicked him up and down once again, taking his measure, and the softest of smiles touched her face. "You aren't nearly so frightening as you pretend to be. Nor do you embrace the Dark as fully as you'd have others belief.

Golden eyes narrowed.

"Careful, now."

"I meant no offense." Ti replied.

Naruto weighed her words for a moment before venturing a reply of his own.

"The Force is the Force." he lifted a hand, palm upturned to display the tiniest discharge of force lightning cradled within. "In denying it, in denying your emotions, you limit yourself. You'd do well to draw strength from them. They can save you when all else fails."

She looked at him with pity then, and he nearly recoiled at it.

"You truly believe that, don't you?"

"I do. Because I lived it." Naruto countered, feeling something ugly rear its head inside him then. He stepped forward, closing the distance as much as the cage would allow. "My "master", he grimaced at the word as much as the memory, "Once threw me into a hungry gundark nest. I had nothing but the Force." he paused, letting the reality of his words sink into his captives. "It was an experiment of his. They were dozens of the bastards, and they were all starving. I was fresh meat, seven years old, and scared out of my mind. Do you know what I did?"

"I imagine you'll tell us." Mariss feigned indifference, but the glimmer of fear he sensed from her told otherwise.

"I butchered them." the whiskered warrior replied, uncaring of her flinch. "To a man. Not just the males, but the females, and their young. I killed them all. What did you expect? I was just a boy and it was me or them. Looking back, I still don't remember much of what happened that day." he looked down, curling his hands quietly. "But I remember the fear. The rage." Mariss blinked and for a moment, just a sliver of a second, those amber orbs seemed to burn scarlet to her eyes. "Without emotion, I would've died that day; of that I have no doubts. Think on that for a moment, jedi."

He wasn't surprised when the padawan bristled.

"So? It still proves you a monster-

 _"Oh, but I'm not done!"_ a coiled fist slammed against the wall, causing both jedi to jump as one. "By the time I'd blasted my way out of that pit, I half-expected Vader to kill me. After all, I'd failed. Lost control. I nearly stayed in that nest for fear of death. I knew I stood no chance against him; knew he would snuff me out in a blink. Have you ever feared death? Truly tasted it?" The two jedi exchanged a glance as he spun away from them, only to start again as the irritated blond spun back on his heel. "I lived with it every day in those early years. The finality of it can crush you, ya know? But I rose above it."

Words failed him then.

The realization that he'd never told this to anyone else-not even Cody-momentarily left him at a loss. Blasted jedi, how had they gotten under his skin this easily?

"And then?" Shaak Ti prodded gently.

"What do you think?" he sighed, flicking an imaginary speck of dusk from his cloak to escape her gaze. "I escaped that hell and eventually worked my way back to him. He didn't raise his blade. Didn't strike me. In the end, he said only three words. _Now you understand._ Do you, jedi? Emotion is what fuels me. I'm a creature of passion. I don't deny it. It makes a fool of me at times, reckless at others. But I'm not fueled by hatred as much as you think. The desire for a better world? Certainly. Hope? Hell, yes. A galaxy united? I'd die for that. That can never be so long as you lost insist on stirring up trouble."

"Why are you telling us this?" Mariss muttered.

A rare look of scorn flashed across Naruto's visage and for a moment, his anger burned white hot.

Stupid girl! Why didn't she understand?! He wanted to shake her! Didn't she see this was for her benefit?!

"Are you afraid?"

Just like that, she closed down again.

"Why?"

"Why? I'm asking you so you _learn,_ idiot." scowling, he thrust a finger toward the corridor. "I'm _telling you this_ so you don't go and do something stupid when we land. Your so-called "peace" is all well and good, but its useless on the battlefield when death's staring you in the face. Now, emotion...sometimes you need that edge. I've carried that lesson with with me all my life. You think I'm terrifying? Good. Because my Master's _more_ than terrifying. And he won't argue morality with you. So I'll ask this one more time. Are. You. Afraid?"

Mariss's face softened.

"I-

A faint tremor rolled through the soles of his boots to rattle the floor, informing him the ship had successfully completed its docking procedure. Naruto shared a glance with his captives, saw the resignation in their eyes. So. This was the end of their conversation. For now. Assuming there would be a second time. Suppressing such a dismal thought, he deactivated the door one last time-though not before raising his right hand. A series of snarling sparks spoke volumes into the silence between Sith and Jedi.

"Right, then." he managed eloquently. "Time to leave. Try to escape and I'll shock you senseless."

...I will not try, Sith." the jedi master replied, rising to her feet. "I gave you my word."

Amber eyes cut to her padawan.

 _"You're_ not the one I'm worried about, sweetheart."

A low hiss snaked through Brood's teeth.

"I refuse!"

"Tough. You either leave this cell on your own, or I knock your pretty little ass out and drag you. Your choice."

An angry hiss was the zabrak's sole reply before she acquiesced.

They disembarked in short order, Naruto taking the lead with the two jedi behind him, Cody bringing up the rear, rifle at the ready. Should either Ti or Brood attempt to flee, they'd find themselves stunned or shocked. Not that there was anywhere to flee too. The oppressive heat of Mustafar saw to that. There was nothing to eat in the magma fields here, nothing to hunt. If the heat didn't get to you, the lava would. Or Vader. Part of him wondered if he was leading his captives to their deaths. He'd sworn not to harm them, but he couldn't speak for his master. If he tried to kill them...

 **"You'll do what?"** a nasty little voice hissed in his ear. **"Protect them? From HIM? Fool. You'll die trying."**

The apprentice ruthlessly stifled a snarl as he finished his descent down the ramp.

Vader awaited him below, a dark figure seemingly carved from stone.

Naruto stopped a short distance away and inclined his head.

"Master."

The Dark Lord regarded him in silence.

Naruto grit his teeth and silently awaited his answer.

When at last he spoke, his words send a silent chill through him.

"You have done well, apprentice." he granted.

"Thanks-ever-so-much."

Years of deferential instinct and training compelled him to bend the knee, but sheer stubbornness rooted Naruto in place. His only concession was to sketch a short bow. If Vader was at all put off by the lack of respect he did little to show it; indeed, his focus had long since moved on and was now decidedly elsewhere. It lay upon the two captive jedi trailing down the ramp, held at gun-point by Cody. The apprentice restrained a silent shudder; for he apprentice didn't envy them the attention. The weight of his master's regard wasn't always a bad thing, but Vader's hatred for the jedi was legendary. Already he could feel the dark cloud of his master's wrath building, a storm ready to break upon those below.

Naruto groaned inwardly.

 _'Why, why, WHY did I do promise them something like this?!'_

Spirits, he'd promised to keep them _safe_ from _that._

A bitter chill rippled through him as the dark lord ignited his saber and strode past him; only then did the blond finally regain full control of his faculties. Shaak Ti didn't bat an eyelash in the face of the storm. The same could not be said for her padawan. Mariss stood ramrod straight, bright eyes bulging as the Dark Lord raised his saber, leveling a burning red line against her cheek. Only _then_ did Naruto realize what Vader intended. _He wouldn't. No. He would._ It took everything he had to reign himself in and not intervene. Any act of aggression on his part would turn that very saber on him.

"Ah, Master Ti. I've been expecting you."

"Vader." the togrutan jedi lifted her head and bared her throat to him in defiance of the danger, expression chiseled from marble. "I thought Skywalker slew you."

Only those who truly knew Vader could see how profoundly Shaak Ti's verbal jab affected him. It was there, in the slight tensing of his shoulders, the momentary pause in the incessant rasp of his respirator. Naruto was one such individual, and his eyebrows shot up like a rocket. _'No, no, no! This is not what we agreed! What the hell are you doing!?'_

"Anakin Skywalker was weak." Vader rumbled. "I destroyed him."

Her gaze hardened imperceptibly.

"So you claim."

It was precisely the wrong thing to say.

Rather than explode in anger as was sometimes his wont, the Sith surprised them all by extinguishing his saber. Slowly, almost curiously, he tilted his head. It took Naruto a moment to realize the Dark Lord had finally noticed Mariss. The full weight of his gaze fell upon her like a crushing wave to which the padawan stiffened, unable to tear herself away. Despite himself, Naruto felt a spike of pity for her. Perhaps now she understood what he'd meant when he warned her about Vader. One did not argue with a force of nature. You didn't reason with it, and certainly didn't fight it.

 _You got the hell out of its way._

"I see you've found a new apprentice, Shaak Ti." Though his helmet reflected no emotion, even a blind man could sense the dark satisfaction lurking in his words. "A pity. I sense great fear in her."

Cody stiffened.

"Begging your pardon sir, but-

Vader pinched his thumb and forefinger together.

Mariss realized her peril a nanosecond too late; then an invisible vice clamped down her throat, driving all air from her lungs. No. All her training abandoned her in an instant, years of training cast aside as she felt the Dark Lord crush her windpipe. Her first thought was to lash out. Attack with everything she had, and hopefully in doing so disrupt the technique. It was her only hope. To delay was to die, and more than anything, she wanted to live. Her hands snapped up together as one and she _pushed_ with every fiber of her being; wrath, grief and terror united as one. Exulted Yes! She'd smash him against the rocks, hurl him into the lava and then-

-the Sith dismissed her efforts with a contemptuous flick of his free hand and lifted her into the air with a thought.

With the knowledge that she'd failed, rational forsook Maris all at once and she despaired. Her boots scraped the ground as her feet dangled uselessly below her, leaving her to clutch at the unseen fingers at her throat. At this noose; inexorably squeezing the life out of her. Already her vision had begun to darken at the edges. She could barely see her exhausted master pleading for her life, only to be batted aside by Vader. Naruto was waving his hands expansively and Cody looked as though he were all of an instant from turning his blaster on Vader. Afterward, her sigh faded even more and she became fixated solely on fighting the stranglehold upon her throat. As a result, she failed to see what transpired next.

"Vader! Stop!" Shaak Ti pleaded! "There's no need for that!"

Silence reigned supreme.

Looking back, Naruto wasn't sure what spurred him to act.

It could have been many things; perhaps Maris's desperate expression.

Perhaps it was her eyes.

It might've been the tears.

Before he could consider the consequences of his own actions he flung up his hands and spoke.

"Wait! If turned, they could be of great use to us!"

Vader went still.

Even now he could see the gears turning in his master's mind. Breaking a jedi, rather, turning them to the Dark Side, was the ultimate betrayal of the light. To mold them into something else, to make them forswear all that they had ever known and become steeped in the ways of the darkness...doubtlessly such a plan appealed to Vader. He despised the Jedi and ever sought new ways to destroy them. Now, the hook was baited. All that remained was to see if he would bite.

"Can it be done?"

 _'Got 'em!'_

Keenly aware of his master's regard, the whiskered warrior did the one thing he'd sworn never to do. He bent the knee. Abandoning his pride and bowing his head low, he scoured all thought from his mind, he willed himself to be calm and focused on the sole "image" as it were of turning them to the Dark. To Vader. Any other thought meant a swift and certain death. He told himself he wasn't lying. No. Not at all. He'd given his word that no harm would come to them, and in offering this choice to Vader, he _was_ keeping it. Only the Force knew the outcome.

"They will join us or die." he swore.

He almost believed it himself.

A minute passed.

Then another.

Another.

 _"We shall see."_

When Vader abruptly released Maris, Naruto didn't bother to restrain himself. Even as she fell he reached out and cushioned her fall with the Force. Shaak Ti did the rest, catching her apprentice with her good arm, all the while keeping a tight lid on her emotions. Maris was another matter. Even as she gasped for breath she sought his gaze out, incredulous in her disbelief. He saw it in her expression; she knew he'd just saved their lives, but didn't know what to make of it. Good. Let her stew on that for awhile.

Carefully concealing his emotions behind a facade of disinterest, Naruto rose and beckoned for Cody.

Vader wasn't having any of it.

"Commander."

"Sir!" his old friend straightened, nearly saluting out of instinct.

"You will escort the prisoners to the holding cells and await further orders."

"Right away, sir!"

Relief bled out of the man like a cracked sieve as he ushered the captive jedi away, his outburst restrained only by years of training. Naruto bit back a sigh of relief. Good man, Cody. With luck, Vader would mistake it as a mere distaste for violence, nothing more. Sure enough, the Dark Lord didn't challenge him when the trio scuttled past. His attention was too rooted, to firmly fixed on _him_ to bother with a clone. As their captives were led away down a winding path, Vader crooked a hand toward his disciple.

"Come."

He turned and departed without another word, leaving Naruto to follow him into the complex.

...I see you have acquired a new lightsaber." there could be no denying the silken menace lurking in Vader's voice.

"Well," the blond shrugged, grateful for the change of subject, "Ti broke one of mine. Had to improvise."

A moment of silence passed, broken only by the incessant rasp of Vader's respirator.

"I understand you also struck down a servant of the Empire."

Reluctantly, Naruto sighed, sensing an unspoken question.

"The Fifth Brother, actually. He snuck into my hunt and his obsession with killing was at odds with my orders from you, Master. So I went with the pragmatic approach." the blonde confessed.

Even if he hadn't been facing the window overlooking the river of lava, Vader's mask would have given away nothing, before the dark figure slightly inclined his head. Did it irritate him that they had fewer members of the Inquisitorius now? Yes. But did that mean he failed to understand why his apprentice had killed the Fifth Brother?

Hardly.

Why should he feel any pity for that fool?

"Also, Master..." Naruto hesitated before continuing, knowing what would follow. "The Emperor...he's aware of me...sent me a transmission...he told me he requires me in the Lothal system after this..." the Blade said, knowing the only thing Vader would like less than hearing that was being uninformed of it.

Vader turned bodily to face his pawn at the news.

"Master, he said you were who informed him of me!" Naruto explained quickly, lest he suffer his Master's anger.

Ah...Vader was unsurprised at that. Yet still...It was too soon. He would need to think, modify his plans. This was forcing him to accelerate things.

"Follow me. If the Emperor is aware of you, then there is something that you will need."

Naruto did as his master instructed and did as such, the pair making their way down further and further through Vader fortress, eventually exiting it. Once more the searing heat of Mustafar swept up to slap the blond in the face, forcing him to cocoon himself in the Dark Side. From there the master lead his apprentice outside into the familiar ash-choked air and searing heat of the ground on broken planet.

The pair of Dark Side-wielders made their way away from the building and once it was but a speck on the horizon, Vader held out his hands. The Force surged from him and scattering the soil before them to expose an obsidian black door built into the ground like the entrance to a bunker, perfectly hidden under the ash and loose soil of the volcanic world, and only noticeable if you knew exactly where to look.

A hidden room?

Vader physically grasped the door and moved it aside, shocking Naruto as the Blade was welll aware of the dangerous nature of his Master's artifical limbs.

Vader's gloves in actuality being Mandalorian crushgaunts and modified to include grip-augmentation circuitry. His mechanical appendages provided him with greater strength than an ordinary man; he could adjust the servodrivers and pistons in his forearms to provide his hands with enough strength to crush nearly anything they could grasp. With the power of his arms alone, he had the ability to lift an adult being off the ground, though he had always been able to do so with the Force.

Heaving it open, Vader made his way down into the depths of the chamber, vanishing from Naruto's sight.

Examining the door, Naruto was surprised to see why his master had even needed to resort to his physical strength at all.

A hidden vault inscribed with ancient Sith alchemic ruins to make it resistant to being lifted telekinetically with the Force, yet heavy enough to where no ordinary person could get it to budge? Why would Vader have any need for that? Whatever was behind that door, Naruto found himself not liking the idea of whatever it was.

Soon enough he heard the slow, deliberate, thudding steps, the noisy gait that "announced" his Master's coming.

When Vader emerged, he held something in his hand. A black, flat and angular dagger, sleek and deadly, that Naruto could feel something unusual about. It left him with a sense of sheer dread that eclipsed that even of the Emperor himself.

At the blond's involuntary step back, he suddenly gasped, feeling a sudden, familar feeling compress his throat.

No, not fear.

Rage.

"Hey! Cut that shit out!" he growled, eyes flashing red. "There's something screwed up with that weapon! Only an idiot wouldn't fear that thing!"

Reluctantly, the pressure from the Force Choke vanished and Naruto hissed out an angry breath. Vader spoke.

"I taught you better. Sith have no fear...Although, having seen the lethality this blade on those whom wield the power of the Force, it is inevitable you would dread the Mortis Dagger. This blade should no longer exist...the Ones of Mortis are no more, yet this weapon somehow remains as though their lives still maintained its presence."

Naruto's eyes went wide as he pushed himself up. The the Mortis Dagger?! It...it _**EXISTED?!**_ He couldn't believe it! A weapon that could strip beings strong enough in the Force to have achieved immortality through it of their powers?!

No wonder he was made so nervous, that blade was power personified. No...it wasn't him that dreaded and shrank away from the weapon...it was the Force itself! Naruto shuddered, he found he really didn't wish to know how that was possible. Then he gasped as his Master held the dagger out to him. Wanting him to take it up.

Naruto looked up at Vader, shocked and more than a bit frightened. Still...he hesitantly reached out and grasped the hilt, acutely aware of the Force flowing through him making it so he wanted nothing to do with the blade. Slipping it into his belt, Naruto made to follow his master as Vader went to return to his fortress.

Only once they'd left the scorching lava flows behind did his master give him further instruction.

"Return to your chambers while I summon your new pilot." Vader instructed.

"New pilot?" Naruto blinked, momentarily nonplussed. "I have Cody."

A twitch of irritation conveyed itself through Vader's shoulders.

"He is no longer suited to that task." his master replied.

"Fine. But I'm keeping him. He's a good fighter."

"Do as you will with him."

With that the Dark Lord spun on one heel and stormed out, leaving the baffled blond with his thoughts. Vader...was rewarding him? The notion was alien to him. Unexpected. In all his years his master had only ever lent him the tools he needed to survive. Nothing more. Nothing less. To suddenly be gifted something-or someone in this case-absolutely baffled him. That certainly had never happened before...then again, he'd never had to deal with _Jedi_ before, so he guessed it balanced out.

Still, he knew this was a one-time thing.

Or so he hoped.

* * *

 _(...Some Time Later...)_

* * *

"Well. This isn't working."

Within his training chambers, Naruto let out a steady breath as he paced himself through the intricate movements and forms of the teräs käsi fighting style, a full-body fighting form incorporating strikes, grappling and throwing in addition to weaponry. Every part of the body was used and subject to attack with this form. Yet for all it's practical combat application, he was glad to have learned teräs käsi was practiced not only for physical defense but also for psychological ends. Just what he needed at the moment.

Teräs Käsi, or "steel hands" in Basic, was an unarmed combat discipline. It was created sometime prior to 3678 BBY on the planet Bunduki by the Followers of Palawa, refugees of the planet Palawa, which was devastated earlier in a war somehow involving the Jedi Council. The Followers of Palawa created Teräs Käsi solely to fight with Jedi, and presumably, ensure that another world would never be destroyed by the actions of the Jedi. The Followers of Palawa studied the Force and midi-chlorians, even though they themselves were not necessarily Force-sensitive.

Teräs Käsi enabled a user to develop extreme speed and an aptitude for anticipating strikes. In addition, Teräs Käsi taught non-Force-sensitives how to close their minds to Jedi and Sith, thus protecting themselves from mental attacks. Teräs Käsi also had a developed set of fighting skills, and Nine Edicts. Some lightsaber duelists used Teräs Käsi techniques in combat, most notably of which was the ex-sith Darth Maul. Jedi Master Anoon Bondara was also a master of Teräs Käsi techniques, which he coupled with his lightsaber ability to duel Jedi Knight Joclad Danva was also a Teräs Käsi practitioner. Jedi Master Plo Koon was believed to be a Teräs Käsi practitioner as well, since he was a master at hand-to-hand combat. It wasn't not known how Jedi could have been trained in Teräs Käsi, as the Followers of Palawa did not appear to be on friendly terms with the Jedi.

Since it was a form that allowed a non-Force User to combat those who were able to draw on the Force to augment themselves on near-equal footing, it was something worth mastering, his battle against Master Ti and Broody had shown him the value of just how prepared to combat other Jedi would beSince it was a fighting form that allowed a non - Force User to combat those who COULD use the Force by enhancing their physical conditions to superhuman (or whatever race the user of Teräs Käsi was) levels through intense training, Naruto wondered just how far he could go with the fighting style whilst enhancing himself with the Force on top of it.

The young Sith was half way through the sets when he finally sensed a presence outside his training chamber. With a sigh, he reluctantly halted his routine and opened the door, coming face to face with a young woman.

Blonde, blue eyes, fair skin...Naruto blinked. If he didn't know any better, he would've sworn she was his sister!

She was dressed in the garb of an Imperial pilot.

"I take it you're the one code-named "Blade." she said, all business. "I'm Juno Eclipse. Your new pilot."

At seeing the face Naruto made, she frowned.

"What?" she demanded.

"Clones are better than Birthers, take Clone commander Gregor for example: He single-handily took out an entire Separatist rhydonium mining facility and a whole battalion of droids by himself while suffering from amnesia...meanwhile, enlisted birth-born Stormtroopers couldn't hit the broad side of a plant while shooting point-blank!" Naruto scoffed.

The woman sighed, rolling her eyes, but she understood the underlining factor: he wasn't pleased having an enlisted member of the Empire working alongside him. "Duely noted. However, Lord Vader assigned me to serve as your pilot. My orders are clear; I'm to keep your ship running and fly you where ever your missions require. That's all."

Naruto hissed at that. Orders from up top. Damnit...

"Fine," he sighed, "suppose I couldn't ask for much better for a chauffeur than the youngest student ever accepted into the Imperial Academy and a Captain personally chosen by Vader to lead his Black Eight Squadron...even if you did participate in the mass genocide and complete sterilization that rendered Callos uninhabitable..." he said somewhat resentfully.

Juno's eyes widened, "How do you...?!"

The male blond smirked smugly, "What? You think you're the ONLY one that gets assignments directly from Emperor Palpatine's right-hand man? By all means, if it being part of my job to know about everyone in the Empire from Vader himself down to the sanitation grunts offends you, take it up with the big man himself. I'd _love_ to see that conversation."

For a moment the pilot stood there, her jaw agape.

Then she snarled, and hands balling into shaking fists, forced herself to spin on her heel and stomp away towards where the Fire Shadow was docked.

"Don't forget," Naruto catcalled at her back, "We've got liftoff in a few hours!"

 _"Bite me!"_

Well, that was a markedly reversed attitude!

The Empire's Blade snickered. He gave her a week before trying to put a blaster round through his head in his sleep...

...this'd be fun.

 **A/N: THE PLOT THICKENS! Naruto's beginning to wonder if the Empire is as "good" as he has been led to believe and with doubt, the gears begin to turn...**

 **LOTHAL NEXT CHAPTER AND BOOOOOOY IS IT GOING TO BE A DOOZY!**

 **So in the Immortal Words of the Emperor himself...**

 **...yes, use your emotions! Give in! REVIEW!**

 **And of course, enjoy the preview!**

 **(Preview!)**

 _"The Force is with you, young one. But you are not a Jedi yet."_

 _Ezra bristled warily, raising his blade to defend himself._

 _"Oh, this is going to end poorly..._

* * *

 _"You may fire when ready."_

 _"Belay that. Your men will stand down."_

 _Arihnda Pryce blinked in disbelief._

 _"I beg your pardon-URK?!"_

 _Whatever else she might've said died as a vice found her throat._

 _Amber eyes burned out at the governor._

 _"The next time you raise a hand to innocent civilians will be the **last time you have hands."**_

* * *

 _Chopper squealed harshly._

 _Too little, too late._

 ** _"Hey, green."_**

 _Hera froze._

 _She turned slowly, dreading what she'd find there. Sure enough, a pair of warm, golden eyes waited for her in the dark. Breath hitched in her throat as their owner stepped forward, their visage illuminated by the pale glow of a crimson saber. It was in that moment that the Ghost's light's finally flickered back on, and she saw him for who he was._ _He lunged at her and her hand shot to the blaster at her hip, only for the scarlet blade to cleave through the barrel and send it skittering away in a heap of slag. A heartbeat later that same blade forced itself up under her chin, forcing her to raise her head in surrender._

 _"Nice ship you've got here."_

 _The blazing tip danced mere centimeters from her throat, its intentions clear._

 _"It'd be a damn shame if something happened to it." he warned._

 _Defeated, she could only raise her hands._

 _"What do you want?"_

 _"The Jedi."_

 **R &R~! =D**


	5. Through Passion I Gain Strength

**A/N: SEVEN THOUSAND WORDS!** **REVIEW FOR IT FEEDS THE ENGINE OF CREATION~!**

 **Long author's note here, feel free to read it or not. But if you want your questions answered, well...**

 **Here's a quick update list since the site went down and screwed up the alerts for some of you:** **My second-to last new story, Last Stardust.** **I've recently updated Son of the Stag.** **As well as I'm Only Human.** **And this, obviously.** **So, in other news...** **Rebels recently just ended.** **And we lost some people.**

 **CONSIDER ME A LITTLE NETTLED.**

 **I had planned to hold off on this until later, but well...** **lets just say that someone's going to pay the _price_ for their lack of vision. ****I've been holding back thus far to see where Rebels went with things, and** **I've gotten ideas. Lots, and LOTS of ideas. Ideas that may or may not be revealed in the coming chapters.** **Keep those Pm's and reviews coming!**

 **Aaaaaaand its time to answer your questions!**

 **Q: What kind of Naruto is this?! Give him some darkness, damnit! He shouldn't take shit from anyone!**

 **A: Um...Excuse me? I feel I should remind you that Vader isn't the sole influence on Naruto in this story. He sees the Empire as "good" and has yet to realize otherwise. Even if he did, who is to say he wouldn't want to change it from within rather than rebel outright?** **Cody is just as much to thank for that, thanks to the brief training he endured.**

 **And as to matters of the Dark Side...**

 **He isn't a true sith-not yet. For good reason. Naruto views the Empire as the "good" in the galaxy, and the rebellion as evil. Furthermore, just because you haven't seen the darkness in Naruto, don't assume it isn't there. He relies on his emotions to be sure, but hasn't had a cause to truly despise someone or something, nor a reason to cut loose yet. Nor have we seen true fury from him, because as of this point, he hasn't truly been angry. He hasn't known hate. He hasn't experienced love. Moments of ire or passion, yes, but absolute, unholy wrath? No. Not yet.** **But it IS coming.** **And far sooner than you might think.**

 **You'll soon see what I mean, dear readers.**

 **Q: I find it hard to believe Vader would tolerate Naruto's insubordination for long. Is there a reason for it?**

 **A: I'll repeat what I said before:** **On some, distant level Vader sees worth in his apprentice beyond that of a tool, though he'd never speak it aloud. Remember, he all but raised Naruto from a babe to the strapping young sith he is now. In a twisted way, he sees him as what could have been as Anakin, if he hadn't destroyed himself. To Vader, the mere mention of the dreaded F-word, that is to say, "Father" brings back painful memories, and it causes him to lash out.**

 **He tolerates him, if only because he sees some small part of himself in the blond. Its a bit of a conflict, really. He wants to overthrow Palpatine and he knows his "Apprentice" has the potential to be a valuable asset in this. Remember, Vader hasn't given himself wholly to the darkness, and that's part of what is keeping Naruto alive. Further, Naruto knows to toe the line when it matters most. Be assured, if he ever goes over that line, or pushes too far, he's going to be in for a rude awakening.**

 **Q: I see you've incorporated some aspects from the Force Unleashed. Is it going to end the same? Will other characters appear like Rahm Kota?**

 **A: Sorry, mum's the word atm.**

 **Q: Will Naruto have an apprentice of his own? If so, who?**

 **A: I can't reveal that yet, sadly.**

 **Q: Have you read the recent Vader comics? Can we expect to see Doctor Aphra in this?**

 **A: I find her character (and the droids) oddly endearing, so I just might.**

 **Q: Will Naruto get his own Star Destroyer, battalion of clone troopers, etc?**

 **A: Yes, yes and yes.**

 **Q: I know the story is called the Empire's Blade, but what does it mean? Will Naruto defect? Will he remain loyal? AARGH! The suspense is killing me!**

 **A: Naruto isn't a full sith at this point, and his loyalties may be swayed. Or they might not. Trust me, you won't see the end coming.**

 **Q: Why was Vader talked into sparing the jedi? He always kills them outright.**

 **A: Trust me, when you see what he has planned for these two...they might well wish for death.**

 **Q: Have seen the last of Shaak Ti and Mariss?**

 **A: Trust me, we haven't seen the last of them.**

 **Q: Can we expect to see the Seventh Sister again?**

 **A: Wish granted, she's got a lot more screen time in this chapter. She said she'd be joining Naruto on Lothal, after all. This is of her own volition, of course. She has no standing orders to be there-or anywhere else for that matter-so no one expects her to show up, sans Naruto. Yeah, its not going to end well for the Rebels...**

 **Q: What does Naruto think of the rule of two?**

 **A: Naruto does not wholly accept the rule of two, yet understands why it exists. But in the same vein, his very presence violates it.**

 **Q: How far along is Rebels by the time Naruto arrives on Lothal?**

 **A: Oh, that's an easy one. At this point, in this chapter, its at the very beginning of Season Two, Episode One. As in just before the Siege of Lothal.**

 **Now, let's have a quick refresher.**

 **If you recall, Naruto's been commanded there by the Emperor to...account for their recent failures. Meaning, just before being sent off-planet to see Tarkin, Maketh Tua's receiving a visit from our blond apprentice, who she knows absolutely nothing about, only that he's an envoy of the Emperor's express displeasure. As is Governor Pryce and Agent Kallus of course, has them both right and properly terrified.**

 **However, this time, Tua has only JUST contacted the Rebels. Very recently at that.**

 **But this time there will be consequences.**

 **Guess what that means?**

 **Because its from HERE that things go off the rails.**

 **Which brings to mind my plans for her and a few others...** **Oh, and do try not to laugh too much, because this is going to be a WILD ride...** **And fair warning, there's a bit of darkness in this chapter, so I apologize if I trigger anyone.** **So with that, I hope you all have a lovely day/evening, plug in some headphones, and enjoy the story.** **Certain liberties are taken regarding the Seventh Sister's hair, since we never see her without that blasted helmet...** **AND WOULD IT BE TOO MUCH FOR THEM TO RELEASE HER BLOODY NAME?! I know full well she isn't Bariss, but when she sodding acts like her its hard to tell.**

 **Bloody hell, I might just make her Bariss at this rate because I tire of calling her the Seventh Sisther...I said I MIGHT.**

 _ **...ciao~!**_

 _"Take the shot, Zebb."_

 _"Huh? But what if I miss-_

 _"Just take the damn shot! Now!"_

 _~?_

 **Through Passion I Gain Strength**

 _"You've kept me waiting."_

Locked deep in his meditation sphere, Naruto nevertheless felt the corners of his mouth twitch into a smile as he reached out through the Force. Time and space meant nothing to one submerged in the Dark Side. Almost immediately he felt a response from across the stars. Like a shadow melding with his, he felt the dark caress of another mind brush across him, icy fingers of interest trailing the length of his psyche to probe at his mental defenses. It almost made him open his eyes. Almost, but not quite. He rebuffed them with a thought and deepened his concentration.

"Sorry about that."

His smile grew imperceptibly, and with a thought, the confines of the Fire Shadow fell away from him.

In its place stood the void.

He saw Lothal's capital city in his mind's eye, a pristine gem among rubbish.

His next destination, close at hand, yet not the place he sought.

With a thought he gave the surroundings shape and form.

A ruined landscape of shadow and flame took shape in his mind; teeming lava flows under an ashen sky framed by jagged streaks of lightning. All told, it rather resembled Mustafar. And his present mood. He'd been in a foul fit of pique for the last hour now and his current state of mind reflected that in his mindscape. Mustafar had been his home for as long as he could remember, and it was here to which his thoughts retreated when he found himself irritated. If Kamino reflected sorrow and Naboo hope, then this eternally burning planet represented the heart of the dark side.

Not a bad place for the field of the mind.

Speaking of darkness...

 _Ah._

There she was.

The Seventh Sister was waiting for him amidst the debris, idly cradling a rock in her fist. As he looked on she crushed it into pebbles and rose to greet him. Her golden eyes danced, their minds connected across space and time. With a strangely childlike grin she stood for him, crossing the space between them in few quick strides. A hand trailed longingly across his chest as she circled him, supple fingertips dancing across the hardened plane of his armor with subtle yet menacing intent. For some reason, her teasing irritated more than usual today; the blond batted her hand away even as she sent out a questing tendril with the dark side of the Force.

 _"Nice place you've got here."_ she purred in his ear. "Remind me to thank you for teaching me this trick."

Any other being would have recoiled from such an invasive touch. Repulsed the intruder outright. Not him. He had nothing to hide beyond his own quiet doubts, and those were sealed away were no one could sense them, certainly not a. Perhaps not even Vader himself, though he was loathe to test such a theory. Composing his face into a careful mask, he favored her with a smile.

...thanks. Lava's nice this time of year."

An pugnacious snort answered him.

 _"You know what else is nice...?"_

"What would that be?"

Refusing to be dissuaded by his facade, the inquisitor ignored his caustic retort and continued her ministrations anew. Naruto permitted himself a moment of inattention as a silken strand tickled his cheek. _Aha._ Freed from her helmet, her hair formed a dark halo around her head, the ebony tresses tumbling down her back in a curtain of pure midnight. The sight nearly took him back; he'd seldom seen her without that ugly helmet for so long now that he'd simply considered it a part of her being. To see her without it was...well, he wouldn't use the word intriguing. Rather, it was refreshing to see such a novel change, even if it entailed her being horribly clingy about the whole thing.

Not so the kiss.

Her mouth closed on his hungrily and _abruptly_ , driving all thought from his mind. Rather than sputter and flail like a fool, the Apprentice merely grunted in surprise and reflexively inhaled. The heady, smoky scent that was undeniably _her_ filled his lungs. Despite being leagues away from one another the intensity was such that he nearly found himself paralyzed him for a moment. But only for a moment. With a low growl, he seized her by the waist and crushed her body to his as her tongue wrestled against his own. Passion was the way of the Sith after all.

And he was _very_ passionate.

Naruto's hand rose as he deepened the kiss, cupping her cheek, cradling her face as though she were made of fine china. For all her hard edges, he forgot just how soft she could be. A moan fled from her lips at his touch, sending a silent shiver through him, one as much regret as true desire. Mental projection just wasn't the same. It might feel as though she was there, but she wasn't. Not in the flesh. It wasn't the same. He wanted to rip off her armor and have his way with her and though he _could_ do that to a mere projection, it would be a pale imitation of the act. The only made him all the more aroused than before, which in turn fed his anger.

Stoked it.

His hand twitched.

Hardened, as he pulled away.

The Seventh Sister growled in annoyance.

"Oh, you are such an absolute tease, you little-

He was no longer in the mood for her games today.

 **"Enough."**

In an instant the Apprentice traced his connection back to the Inquisitor and gave _her_ throat a gentle _squeeze_ with the Force.

 _"Ack!"_

The Seventh _-likely soon to be Fifth in spite of her ambition-_ Sister sputtered at the abrupt lack of oxygen, eyes bulging as the invisible vice of the Dark Side constricted around her throat. A jolt of anger snapped out at him like a whip, lashing against his defenses. He sensed her fear, her anger...but, no. Not hatred. For all her passion, all her wrath and spite, the Seventh Sister refused to hate him. She was twisted in that aspect, just as he'd been so long ago. With this in mind Naruto easily repelled her assault, intensified the pressure a moment more, then released her with a warning of his own.

 **"Behave. There will be time enough for that later."**

A single thought quelled the Inquisitor's brief burst of outrage and in sullen silence, she withdrew from him.

"You're an absolute bastard sometimes, you know that?" she hissed, rubbing her throat.

The Apprentice turned away.

...I know."

Was it wrong that he felt a spark of guilt?

From a certain point of view she was attuned to his sensibilities. More than most, in that she almost understood him. She knew what drove him and how to provoke him, gloried in his every reaction. Yet not always. Today was one of the rare occasions when she'd erred and stirred his ire. Ordinarily she fed off his darker emotions and impulses without consequence; a scavenger tending the scraps of a larger predator's meal. But sometimes she needed to be reminded of her place, lest she think him weak. He had taught her much, doling out scraps of information, letting her lap them up, fueling her desire for more. Their relationship couldn't rightly be called one of Master and Apprentice at that, for he didn't see her as such.

 _He_ was the hunter here.

She was the prey.

Nothing more.

That was all.

If that was what it took to set the galaxy right again, then so be it.

"-terrifying look you've got there. Its a pity I won't be able to join you this time." she was saying as he came back to himself.

"Oh?" the blond arched an eyebrow. "I was under the impression you were waiting for me on Lothal."

"Well, I'm not." his lover replied archly, giving him a gentle shove. "I've received new intel and a new target. Our "touching" reunion will just have to wait." Perhaps sensing his brief bout of confusion, she preened at him and twirled a lock of raven hair around a lone finger. "Soon I'll have another trophy to add to my mantle."

Naruto's interest was instantly piqued.

"Another Jedi, then? Do you know his identity?"

Her face twisted as though she tasted something sour.

"I don't see why I should give you that information, Naruto."

Blue eyes narrowed to golden slits. "Don't make me use your name-

The young inquisitor immediately reddened, her pale face turning red as a rose.

"Alright, alright!" she relented, flinging up her hands. "My target is Rahm Kota. He's on Nar Shaddaa, targeting a Tie-Fighter facotry. I'm headed there as we speak. Don't even _think_ about stealing my kill, do you hear me, Naruto? He's mine!"

Ah.

He knew that name.

An esteemed general during the height of the Clone Wars; he who hadn't trusted in the Republic's clone army and instead chosen to fight with his own band of warriors. Some might claim _that_ was the reason he still lived, through blind bloody luck. Naruto knew better. He'd done his research. The man was as skilled with a blade as they came. A difficult opponent. One who knew how to fight, not just as a Jedi, but as an individual. Favoring guerrilla warfare, one could never let him choose the battleground. Even _he_ wouldn't want to face him under anything less than ideal conditions. Unlike Shaak-Ti and Mariss, intelligence suggested he'd maintained his skill after all these years. And _she_ thought she could take him...?

"You should wait for me to finish on Lothal."

The statement escaped him before he could think to take it back.

An alarming stillness settled over the Seventh Sister's delicate features.

"What was that?" she hissed, a note of anger shining through her words, "You think I can't do it alone?"

 _"Yes."_

"What?!"

"You're not for that kind of confrontation, ya know." he tried to soothe her rankled spirit with words, "I've taught you a bit, but you're no match for a Jedi Master."

"Says the man who spared two Jedi rather than slay them." the Inquisitor sneered, thrusting a finger against his chest. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've gone soft." her lips curled back in a subtle sneer. "Tell me, are you getting weaker, Naruto?"

A muscle jumped in his jaw.

"The only weak one here is you!"

It was precisely the _wrong_ thing to say and he knew it by her thunderous expression. Saw it in the flare of her burning golden gaze. He didn't care. Initially, he hadn't spoke out of anger or arrogance; merely concern for her well-being. A Jedi Master was nothing to sneeze at. Certainly not one as old or wily as Kota, not a being who'd survived this long and evaded Vader. That _alone_ spoke for his power. Someone like that should never be confronted alone, if at all. She was a fool to think otherwise, given her...limited skill-set. If she went to face him alone, she would die. But she'd insulted him just now. To declare weakness was not the way of the Sith. And so he'd snapped at her in a moment of pique. Perhaps if he could just convince her of that, quell her stubborn pride...

"I'll do it myself! You'll see!"

She severed the mental connection between them before he could argue his point, plunging him in darkness.

Reluctantly opening his eyes at last, the Apprentice found himself once more in his personal quarters in the _Fire Shadow._ Amidst the ever-present hum of its engines, an annoyed grimace began to tug at the corners of his mouth. For a fleeting sliver of a second he almost considered abandoning his mission on Lothal to aid her. In his anger, he immediately dismissed such a notion as foolish. Not only would the Seventh Sister take offence to his presence, but her pride wouldn't tolerate such an insult. She might even attack him for his temerity. He would know. Pride was a touchy thing, for both of them.

"Idiot." he muttered beneath his breath. "Don't come crying to me if you screw up."

With a grunt, he pulled himself out of his crouch and pushed his body upright, to no avail. His anger didn't abate. Even now as he stormed to the cockpit the Force howled inside him like a wild beast, demanding release. A fresh flood of endorphin and adrenaline He required an outlet. To be called weak was the greatest insult one could levy against him. After all he'd said, all he'd done. He'd sacrificed and bled for this power, sweated and all but thrown the last dregs of sanity away to attain this strength. Forsaken all weakness. Refused to cry. For someone to deny the to deny him...!

"We're approaching Lothal."

His sole response was to grit his teeth.

Juno's voice cut in across the intercom, causing the blond to snarl.

"Good." he growled. "Time to prepare that surprise I've been working on...

* * *

 _(...The Capital of Lothal...)_

* * *

Arihnda Pryce was scrambling.

Her mind raced down a warren of different avenues-seeking escape!-but try as she might she couldn't find a way to extricate herself from this situation. With each passing moment the vessel swelled before her visage, and the chill down her spine deepened further still. Yet as Governor of Lothal, she was powerless to do anything but stand at attention. To wait. She couldn't even find the strength to avert her gaze from the approaching doom o for to contemplate any other course of action would be tantamount to betrayal. Indeed, it might even seen as a sign of weakness by some. Not just by those surrounding her or those who sought to usurp her position, but by her _true_ enemies.

Those dogged rebels.

Even now she wondered if they were watching. Concocting a scheme of some sort to sabotage this-sabotage her!-from the shadows. This was all so ill-timed that she couldn't help but wonder if it was a setup of some sort or worse; a ploy of some kind to distract them from their true goal. And it might well be. Yet regardless of fact or fiction, she couldn't discount the possibility. Yes, they must be nearby. Lurking. Plotting. Surely, they must be.

Because the Empire's Blade was coming _here._

To Lothal.

Right...now.

This very second!

An unannounced visit was one thing, but the Blade had made himself known mere minutes before his arrival, leaving them scrambling to prepare for his arrival. Hand to Lord Vader himself, an oft-whispered of weapon used to express the dark lord's displeasure. An instrument of destruction. Vengeance. She'd thought him to a myth. An apparition concocted by the higher ups in an attempt to instill fear and order into the ranks of the Empire. Apparently there had been a large kernel of truth amongst those rumors. Anyone wielding the Emperor's personal codes was not someone to be questioned, no matter how much her paranoia might demand it, or otherwise. She'd seen Lord Vader once from afar when he'd expressed his displeasure, and if this one was anything like him...she didn't relish this meeting.

Being put to task by Tarkin was one thing,yet this stilled a primal dread in her.

But if she must suffer through this indignity, then so did everyone else!

If she had to be called to account for things, so would Kallus!

As would that meek coward of a minister!

Ah, but the vessel was landing now and she could no longer afford such thoughts.

It really was an impressive vessel, one she hadn't seen the make of in quite some time. Sleek and imposing, like an ebony dagger forged from darkness. Not small, but not large, either. Armed to the teeth, yet no so much as to favor offense over defense. A well-rounded ship, through and through, with nothing left to chance. One wondered if its owner would live up to its reputation. Pryce found herself simultaneously curious and terrified by the thought. Would he be a mountain in black armor like Vader? Or something worse...?

A rush of warm air answered her unspoken inquiry.

Only then did the vessel ramp painstakingly descend. Its occupant scarcely waited for it

Clad in dark robes framed by hardened armor, he was no Vader. Nor did he make an attempt to imitate him. Eyes of dark gold blazed out at them, framed by whiskered cheeks and a messy mop of blond hair beneath a shimmersilk hood. Beside her, Arihnda heard Tua make a small noise of confusion. She shared that sentiment, if nothing else. He was...young. Far younger than she'd expected. It did little to quell her anxiety. Blade or not, he put her on edge. All of her instincts, indeed, her very soul, shrieked at her to run. To flee. To get _away_ from this smoldering individual.

"He certainly likes to make an entrance," Kallus mused sardonically.

Pryce silenced him with a searing glower.

"G-Greetings, my lord." she began in what she hoped was a cordial voice as he pulled back his hood. "We are honored by your presence...?!"

 _"You will be silent."_

An invisible hand locked around her throat, strangling the words in her throat. Even as her hands thought to fly at her throat, the unseen vice vanished, as though it had never been. Had she imagined it? Was it anxiety? A fit of stress perhaps? The Blade hadn't so much as raised a hand. He didn't even deign to look at her. At any of them. Indeed, his gaze settled upon none of them yet seemed to gaze into the distance of the hangar almost as if he were privy to a vision none of them were yet aware of. A small, amused smile plucked at his lips.

"Ah." he sighed. "That explains it, then...

Had the governess seen his thoughts in that moment, she would've thought otherwise.

Naruto's attention was decidedly elsewhere.

Rather, on the three before him.

Alexsandr Kallus.

The man's thoughts were surprisingly well-shielded from him. Nevertheless, his record spoke for itself. A loyal soldier of the Empire. One who believed it served a purpose. Order in chaos. He had his flaws of course, but he genuinely thought he was serving the greater good. Willing to go to extremes to accomplish his goals. The Empire's goals. He was proud. He wouldn't bow to him, nor would he grovel. Hmm. Potential. Killing him would be shameful; a waste even. He had been ordered to make an example, but this was not the example he sought. In the end, his attention turned elsewhere.

Prime Minister Maketh Tua.

With the exception of the loathsome Governor Pryce, she was in charge of the day-to-day operations on Lothal. From what he'd read on her she seemed to genuinely care for her people and sought to better their lives as best she could given her admittedly limited power. A good person by all accounts, one who cared more for the people than her own prestige. Rather easy on the eyes at that. Yes, he decided, this woman wasn't to blame for the faults and flaws of this planet, despite her fear of him. Fear was good. Fear kept you alive.

A pity some of those citizens didn't feel the same.

Pryce, however...

She was a roiling knot of emotion; fear draped in anger, wrapped in the shadow of anxiety.

For all her pride and arrogance, she was easy to read. Her mind, an open book. Almost pitifully so. She'd struggled and fought to stand where she did now, but the road to her success lay paved with broken souls. A creature of ambition and pride, limbed by petty pride and selfish grudges. One who viewed herself as a cut above the rest, when in reality, she was anything but. She held little empathy for anyone, and a cruel streak twenty parsecs long. People were little more than pawns to her, useful pawns perhaps, but pawns nonetheless. She too believed the Empire was firmly in the right, but her belief stemmed from a desire for personal glory more than anything else.

Something about the woman's vanity-her attitude-rankled him.

Coupled with his ill mood, it did her little good.

He made up his mind before she spoke.

"My lord...?"

When he abruptly turned face Arihnda, she nearly jumped.

"Governor Pryce." he began, turning to face her with a low rumble. "You have been called to account for your failure to exterminate the rebels in this system." the blond stated coolly, eyes the color of poisoned never once leaving her face. "As Governor, you are responsible for the safety and order of this planet, yet I sense only disorder and chaos. How do you plead?"

Pryce blanched.

She was suddenly and intensely aware of Tua and Kallus; both of whom distanced themselves from her when faced with the wrath of the whiskered warrior. Their cowardice made Pryce seethe. Traitors! They were just as much to blame for this as she! Her mind revolted, thinking it another plot, when in truth, there was none to be had. How dare they try to lay the blame at her feet, however wordlessly! They'd pay for this! Once she talked the Blade down, explained herself, made him see her way of thinking...oh, there would be a _reckoning_ for this!

"We have...encountered some difficulties with the Rebels but rest assured, the situation is well in hand-

"Did you attempt to negotiate?" he inquired. "Strike terms with them?"

His line of questioning struck her as odd.

"Negotiate?" Pryce blinked in disbelief. "With all due respect my lord, what point is there in negotiating with scum like this?" Mistaking his silence for acceptance, she bulled on ahead, heedless of the danger. "They must be exterminated to a man, wiped out like the vermin they are-

An irritated growl cut her off.

"We have taken their homes and their people, that much is true." golden eyes cut to her with a dark scowl, eliciting a flinch. "However, there was and _is_ no need for brutality. Terms were the least you could offer. Perhaps then they may have been content to simply leave. Instead, you exacerbated the situation to the point of no return, stirring discontent into outright rebellion. Yet you have failed to recognize your own failure. You've made mistake after mistake and consistently foisted the blame on others, and for what? Now I must undo the damage you've done and root out these rebels myself. You have made a mockery of what the Empire stands for, no matter the words you use to justify it."

A spark flickered in his palm.

 _"You have failed."_

The words-condemnation-struck her like a hammer blow.

"My lord, please. If you would allow me to explain-

The storm struck her all at once; bolts of thunderous blue-white lightning leaped from the Sith's outstretched hand, ripping her from her feet with a shriek. Every muscle in her body clamped down. Tumbling backwards, it was all she could do to think. Let alone breathe, as the scent of her own charred flesh filled her nose. Was she still falling? Ah, she must've. Everything had gone numb. She could no longer feel her hands. Through blurry vision, she beheld the Blade standing over her, his face a mask of inscrutable anger as he gazed down at her prone form. Another bold bolt of blue struck her and she cried out, her back arching in agony. Ah. She'd found the pain again. She almost wished she hadn't.

Even then she tried to speak, croaking out a feeble form of defense for what she'd done.

"No, I...

Her pressed two fingers squeezed together.

"You will be replaced."

 _Clench._

Once more the vice returned, but this time it did not relent. Invisible fingers wrapped themselves around her throat and squeezed until she saw stars. Then they squeezed further still. Harder. Her hands flew to her throat as her feet left the floor of their own accord, gloved fingers left scrabbling uselessly at her windpipe. What? No. No, no, no. No, her mind bleated in disbelief. Unable to cope against the sudden lack of oxygen, she gave up a startled croak, eyes bulging even as her boots flailed for purchase that simply wasn't there. Still, she refused to believe, let alone accept what was happening to her. This couldn't be happening.

This was a trick.

Yes, a trick.

She'd done everything properly. Been destined for so much more. To have all that snatched away by this young man seemed...wrong somehow. Wasn't it? She could no longer think. Her arms were failing her. Where was the pain? Why couldn't she move? Why couldn't she feel anything? Why couldn't she see? Still, the pressure inexorably crushed her. Had something popped just now? Ah, there was the pain again. Odd that it chose now to return. She couldn't free herself from whatever it was that was killing her. Trembling, she took a hand from her neck, frantically reaching up at the Sith whom she knew was choking the very life out of her.

"I...you can't...

"I am the Emperor's emissary in this." the Apprentice replied. "I can, and I am."

He made a fist and blackness consumed her in an instant.

Just as well, she never saw what came next.

 _"Minister!"_

He sensed the danger almost too late; a sharp cry reaching out through time and space to warn him of the impending peril as the missile streaked down from above. His body moved. He heard Tua yelp but the sound was muted, as though shouted from a great distance. With a vicious effort of will, he shoved Kallus aside to relative safety and used the dark side to yank a startled Tua away from the blast zone and into his arms. He doubled over her, shielding her body against the wall of fire that followed. The skin of his back screamed furiously as it simultaneously cooked and healed within the armor and snarling, he took that pain and used it to make him stronger.

Strength.

Focus.

Fury.

Then, quite suddenly, he vanished in a plume of smoke.

* * *

 _(...Meanwhile...)_

* * *

"What do you mean he _turned to smoke?"_

A crackle of static answered her.

"Zebb? Zebb, are you there?"

No response came.

"Damnit!"

Hera silently palmed her face and muttered a curse in her native tongue. Throwing herself into her pilot's chair, she hastily began to warm up the engines. Too slowly. Everything was moving too slowly. Even as the Ghost lurched beneath her and began to lift off, her instincts were screaming at her. Because this had all gone terribly, horribly wrong and everyone was exposed and _she had a bad feeling about this..._

"I knew this was a bad idea!"

It had been a risky gamble, taking a shot like that out in the open. Ruthless, even. Downright dangerous. She wasn't sure how to feel about it. In all likelihood it wasn't something they were going to try again. Not if she had anything to say about it. But the opportunity had been too good to pass up, even if it had been against her wishes. She knew little enough about the Sith, but Kanan had been adamant about this. Once they'd heard of the Empire's infamous Blade, something strange had come over him and Ezra. The former been almost manic about it; insisting that they eliminate him, minister be damned...

After that display she'd seen, she could understand why.

But now they had no idea where he had gone.

Worse, now they'd exposed themselves-

 _The ship plunged into darkness._

Chopper squealed harshly.

Too little, too late.

 **"Hey, green."**

Hera froze.

She turned slowly, dreading what she'd find there. Sure enough, a pair of warm, golden eyes waited for her in the dark. Breath hitched in her throat as their owner stepped forward, their visage illuminated by the pale glow of a crimson saber. It was in that moment, the narrow sliver of eternity as the Ghost's light's finally flickered back on, and she saw him for who he was. A snake of fear writhed in her belly, tangling her thoughts and feelings into an ugly knot and try as she might she couldn't untangle them. Terror like she'd never known swallowed her whole, and instinct failed her.

She could only stare.

He lunged at her and she twisted out of her chair to dart past him, leaving his saber slammed to bifurcate the seat she'd just occupied.

No, no, no!

How had he gotten aboard?!

Throwing herself down the hall, she heard Chopper bleat a furious retort at the Sith, only to fall silent moments later. Her heart in her throat, Hera found herself paralyzed, unable to move. She knew he was still in there, near the helm, but her body simply refused to obey. It took all she had just to breathe; not to fall into a panic attack. There was more to this than she knew; there just had to be. He was affecting her somehow. Using a Force trick to make her anxious, to mess with her, to screw with her, to _hunt_ her-

A shadow.

A flicker of movement.

Then, quite suddenly, he was upon her.

Her hand shot to the blaster at her hip, only for the scarlet blade to cleave through the barrel and send it skittering away in a heap of molten slag. Even then she didn't give in. Scything at his legs, she received a crushing Force Push for her trouble; the blast ramming her back against a bulkhead. Her holdout blaster slid down her sleeve a nanosecond too late; even as she furiously squeezed off two shots, the Sith effortlessly interposed the blade between him and the crimson bolts. Caroming expertly off the blade, one ricocheted and slammed into the point of her shoulder and the other her leg, drawing a startled gasp from the Twi'lek.

And there, at last, her body finally betrayed her in collapse.

A heartbeat later that same blade forced itself up under her chin, forcing her to raise her head in surrender.

"Nice ship you've got here."

The blazing tip danced mere centimeters from her throat, its intentions clear.

"It'd be a damn shame if something happened to it." he warned.

Defeated, she could only raise her hands.

"What do you want?"

His grin grew.

 _"The Jedi."_

 **A/N:** **Guess who knows the Shadow Clone Jutsu?**

 **Next chapter will reveal how he "discovered" that little trick.**

 **Here's a hint, it has something to do with a certain ornery kitsune...**

 **Yes, yes, I know the Rebels taking a shot at Naruto seems out of character for some, and I apologize if it seems that way. But there's a reason for it. He's literally a terror for the Rebellion, and they thought they could take him out. After all, since when have they hesitated to take lives before? I could EASILY point out the Interdictor incident, or the self-destruct debacle with the droid. Tua contacted them this time around, but made the mistake of telling them about about Naruto...**

 **...and of course Kanan and Ezra got it into their fool heads to try and take him out. I can easily see Zebb agreeing, with Hera and Sabine being on the fence. Chopper is...well, Chopper.**

 **Yeah, they're gonna regret that.**

 **Tua lives!**

 **And now Pryce has paid the price and I have no regrets. You think this was bad? I had a LOT of suggestions that were worse. Far worse. As far as I'm concerned she got off too easily. Good riddance to bad rubbish, and the chapter ends with someone-gee, I wonder who-taking a foolish shot at Naruto. That was a one-off there, and I hope it surprised you all. Naruto's not the sort to attack unless provoked, and boy did they provoke him...**

 **So in the Immortal Words of the Emperor himself...**

 **...yes, use your emotions! Give in! REVIEW!**

 **And of course, enjoy the preview!**

 **Potential previews, that is.**

 **BIG events coming up!**

 **Which do you like?**

 **(Preview!)**

 _"Would you care for some tea, Minister Tua?"_

 _...I would appreciate that, my lord."_

 _"Please, just Naruto will do."_

 _Reluctantly, she did as asked._

 _"What are you?"_

 _A grim smile._

 _"I am the solution."_

* * *

 _"Its a pleasure to finally meet you..._

 _The Sith smiled thinly._

 _...Grand Admiral."_

* * *

 _...where is she?"_

 _"She's safe enough."_

 _"I won't ask again, Jedi."_

 _Kota extended a hand in response._

 _"Join me. Your heart clearly isn't in this."_

 _"I am a Blade. A blade does not turn on its wielder."_

 _"Do you even hear yourself?!" the caustic retort drew a growl of its own. "You're not a blade! You're a person! The Empire is clearly in the wrong, here! Its corrupt! Polluted! And yet you would serve them like a loyal pet, never once questioning, never thinking for yourself! How long before your masters turn on you? Do you even care if they do!? What kind of person does that make you, dog of the Sith?!" Somehow, that insult cut deeply into him, deeper than he expected to. More than that, it struck a nerve. Naruto stiffened._

 _Twitched._

 _"A dog, am I? A servant to a corrupt regime?"_

 _His lightsaber ignited with a vicious hiss of superheated plasma._

 _"THEN I WILL MAKE IT BETTER! And as for you! You're nothing but reckless pride, hobbled by self-righteousness! You are Master of nothing!"_

* * *

 _A raspy cackle echoed behind him._

 _"Good, good! Let the hate flow through you! Your anger makes you **strong!** It gives you focus!"_

* * *

 _A snarl was Ahsoka's only warning._

 _"Ah. I see. Misdirected passion. Such a waste."_

 _Then a torrent of force lightning ripped her from her perch._

* * *

 _"I give myself to your teachings, Master."_

 _Naruto's brow shot up._

 _"What?"_

 **R &R~! =D**


	6. Through Strength I Gain Power

_**A/N: Dear fans and friends, by the time you read this, I'll likely be out cold on the operating table.**_

 **Wow, talk about putting a damper on things off the bat! Sorry about that!**

 **Well, if it doesn't get delayed on me, and it better not or I SWEAR...**

 **REVIEW FOR IT FEEDS THE ENGINE OF CREATION~!**

 **Long author's note here, feel free to read it or not. But if you want your questions answered, well...**

 **...do read on.**

 _ **Alas, I'm afraid I must bring some sad news to you all. I'm about to undergo surgery. AGAIN. Its going to be...invasive to say the least. I suppose all matters of heart surgery are, so that's going to be FUN not to mention the fact that my body LOATHES anesthesia, meaning I'm gonna be a mess for awhile.**_ **This may be the last you hear from me for quite some time until I've recovered, so I wanted to get this chapter out for you all as a present. With luck, I'll recover quickly. Still, its not going to fun, not by any measure.**

 **Aaaaaaand its time to answer your questions!**

 **Furthermore, this chapter isn't told for Naruto's perspective, but rather, the perspective of others. There's a reason for this, as you'll soon see.**

 **The next will focus on him, so I do apologize if I've offended anyone.**

 **Q: So, let me get this straight. He still has Shaak Ti's lightsaber, right? As in he hasn't corrupted the crystal yet? Does that have any significance? I doubt it, but it seems that this has some manner of significance, so I thought I'd ask. Or is Naruto merely keeping the sabers of his defeated opponents as Grievous did?**

 **A: Shaak Ti's lightsaber was a bit of an exception in this regard. And the sight of it is going to shake Kannan. Remember, he's only JUST started hunting Jedi. So he doesn't have all that many trophies compared to the immense collection amassed by Greivous.**

 **Q: I've caught your hints...dear god...you're going to use HER, aren't you?**

 **A: An unexpected face from Legends may make an appearance, yes.**

 **Q: PLEASE don't kill Ezra and Kanan! Sabine can die for all I care but don't kill the Jedi!**

 **A: Sorry, mum's the word atm. And wow, I know a lot of people don't like Sabine, but jeez, to want her dead because of that...**

 **Q: Based on what I've seen, Naruto's either going to succeed where others have failed, or he'll fail spectacularly. He has to know he can't change the Empire by himself, alone, no? The way I see it, he'll either turn or fall so deep that he'll be beyond redemption.**

 **A: Events are coming to a tipping point. Beware of destinies, as they say. They're rarely what you expect.**

 **Q: Can we expect to see a big battle coming up?**

 **A: Yes, but I can't say more.**

 **Q: Are you sure the Rebels would attempt an attack like that?**

 **A: Don't give me that. Kanan and co. didn't shy away from taking lives and Zeb sure as hell didn't with that droid bomb. I've lost track of the lives they've taken. The fact of the matter is, no matter how much they might be presented otherwise, and though they may be the "good guys" thusly portrayed as heroes, this is war and the Rebels HAVE killed before. For them to strike out at Naruto isn't out of character. Unfortunately, in striking at him, they've brought a world of pain upon themselves.**

 **Q: That was...dark. I didn't expect Naruto to turn and kill Pryce like that.**

 **A: Make no mistake; while Naruto still possesses the qualities we all know and love, he does NOT tolerate stupidity or cruelty. In his viewpoint, such emotions must be weeded out; i.e. if someone is dead, they can't stab you in the back. If you're respected by someone, that someone is more likely to follow you than fear you.**

 **Q: Is it wrong that I want to see the Rebels kick Naruto's ass?**

 **A: No, no, I understand why you'd dislike him. He's not a hero, but he isn't a villain either. He sees the Empire as an ideal; a regime that can bring peace and prosperity to the galaxy. The idea of corruption within said Empire infuriates him to no end. In that, he sympathizes with the Rebels. But if you're expecting the good guys to win the day handily, if you think this story has a happy ending where no one dies and its all rainbow and sunshine...**

 **...then you haven't been paying attention.**

 **Q: We need more Vader! I don't think he'd take kindly to his "apprentice" showing such mercy.**

 **A: Vader isn't cruel, but he is enigmatic; the comics have revealed that much. He murdered two Inquisitors-partially for having a relationship with one another-yet when presented with the ship of his former love, he kept it as a memento rather than destroy it. If he senses weakness in Naruto or worse, sees it firsthand...it won't end well.**

 **Q: Aha! You name-dropped Kota! That's definitely a plot thread for the Force Unleashed! But the Seventh Sister...**

 **A: Yeah, she's not beating him by herself. He's far and away her superior in terms of combat.**

 **Q: Alright, I can see Kanan pushing to have Naruto taken out. That's going to backfire horribly, isn't it?**

 **A: I am nothing if not pragmatic. I'm trying to keep everyone in character here, but clearly there will be some divergence. Remember, Naruto isn't cruel. He won't harm Hera unless she leaves him no other choice. She's a captive for him, bait by which to draw out his target.**

 **Now, let's have a quick refresher.**

 **If you recall, Naruto's just tipped the scales and begun a chain of events that there's no coming back from. He's murdered Pryce, assaulted the Ghost, kidnapped Hera, and all but CHALLENGED Kanan and the others to come after him. He wants a fight and he's going to get it. After all, they have no choice now.**

 **...but what will be the consequence of this?**

 **Once again, I own no quotes or reference found within. They belong to their respective movies/games, etc. Why use them, you ask? Well, given what Naruto's slowly becoming-though he may deny it-I thought these remarks sited him. If you can find and name them-including who said them-all in this chapter, you get a reward~! I'll even give you all a hint. There's a line from the Witcher as well as John Wick somewhere in here. But from who...?**

 _ **...ciao~!**_

 _"No...I was so_ certain _that the light would triumph over dark..._

 _"Beware of destinies; they're rarely what you expect."_

 _"How dare you! You've no right to-_

 _"Wrong. I have **every** right. In that, you misunderstand everything. It wasn't light or dark that led us to this moment, but **choice.** Your misguided attempt to attack me for something I had no part in started this; in turn, I'm merely ending what you began. Had you stayed your hand, I might have let you be. Now events spiral towards the inevitable center. And for what? Reckless pride, limbed by self-righteousness. You are master of nothing. But worse still, you failed to grasp a key concept. Here, let me put it in words you can understand:_

 _...you're going to tell me anyway, aren't you?"_

 _"Of course I am! You clearly think I'm the bad guy here, so I may was well play along..._

 _~?_

 **Through Strength I Gain Power**

 _"Would you care for some tea, Minister Tua?"_

Said minister found herself at something of a crossroads in life as she stared death in the face. Whether it was _her_ death or that of another, she had yet to ascertain. Distantly, she heard the door seal itself behind her, locking the last of her hope away. It took every scrap of courage she possessed merely to affix a smile to her lips and feign complacency in light of ; when in truth her heart felt as though it was about to burst clear out of her chest. She could feel those golden eyes on her as she moved, boring into her very soul, assessing her worth even as she slid into her seat. The very act of breathing all but threatened to send her chest into fresh paroxysms of agony.

...I would appreciate that, my lord." she barely managed the words, such was her fear. "I must confess, I did not expect you to...

...survive?" a golden brow rose archly. "Or this visit?"

"B-Both." she managed inelegantly, her face coloring with shame.

"Yes, I suppose I do owe you an explanation, but its a bit of a trade secret."

"I...but...you turned to smoke!"

His gaze narrowed slightly.

"Yes, yes I did."

 _No, no, no!_

Despite her feigned smile, Tua's mind bleated out a frantic wail as that gloved hand gently set the porcelain cup before her, but she held her jaw against her fear. She felt like a waif caught in the gaze of some great beast; a predator mere moments from devouring her, his prey. Silence loomed larger over them, broken only by the sound of the piping hot beverage leaving the dispenser. For a fleeting instant she considered flinging it in his face and bolting; it was only the knowledge of what awaited her should she do so that stilled her hand.

Perhaps sensing her confusion, the Sith tilted his head.

"You are distressed." he purred.

It was not a question.

"N-No! Not at all!"

 _"Hmm."_

Wild eyes flitted to the door, only to fly away as that golden gaze followed. Escape was no longer an option; it had ceased to be the moment she'd found him in her quarters. To flee was folly, he'd catch her before she could take a single step backwards, much less close the door in his face. Even if she somehow managed the latter, she suspected his blade would make short work of the durasteel-and her behind it. To think otherwise was anathema after what she'd borne witness to, the very notion of calling him anything else had been all but stripped from her mind. She wasn't fooled. His smile might seem kind but she'd seen the monster that lurked beneath the mask. If provoked he could easily render her a charred husk of a corpse.

And yet in that same vein, he'd saved her life.

Her face must've been an open book, for he read her anxiety easily. Yet oddly enough, he didn't challenge her treachery. And why should he? The Blade-he!-had arrived without pause or preamble and proceeded to make himself at home in her office. A dead man. She'd seen him perish in that blast, _felt_ him turn to smoke even as he shielded her in his arms. None of it had made any semblance of sense at the time-people didn't just evaporate, even in this age-and yet here he sat, unharmed.

As such, Tua found herself understandably flummoxed.

...so _why_ was he smiling?

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, my lord?"

"Please, just Naruto will do." he gestured at her untouched drink. "And after you. You've had quite the day."

A snake of dread coiled in her gut, but once more minister Tua found herself doing as she'd been bade. The sweet brew did little to soothe her ragged nerves. All the while, the Empire's Blade regarded her with his hooded gaze, his expression betraying nothing beyond that slight smile. Suddenly, the tea tasted like ash in her mouth. Poison? Had he come to kill her then, after all? To finish what he'd started with Pryce. It seemed foolish to believe such a leap of logic, but int his moment Her stomach roiled with fresh nausea and what little she'd managed to eat since the incident threatened to come swarming back up her throat.

"How did it taste?" the young man posited curiously. "I admit I'm not the best brewer out there by any measure, but still, I like to think I can make a proper drink."

"It was delicious, thank you." wisely, she neglected to tell him it had been a touch too sweet for her liking. "Might I...inquire as to why you're here?"

The laughter that followed flowed over her like poisoned honey; sweet, yet with an air of...wrongness about it, somehow. In that moment his golden gaze almost seemed to burnish crimson-surely not!-as though lit from within by a great furnace. When she blinked the flecks of scarlet were gone, replaced by those tranquil golden skies once more.

"Don't worry," he soothed, allaying her fears with a negligent gesture. "I'm not here to kill you, minister. On the contrary, I've come to make you an offer. One you can't refuse."

Tua's voice withered in her throat, the unspoken question turning to ash on her tongue.

Absently, she brushed a hand against her right arm. Even beneath the bacta patches, the swollen and scorched skin still throbbed painfully; a constant reminder of just how close she'd come to death. They would surely scar in time, and the thought filled her with silent shame. She supposed she ought to count herself lucky; Kallus was nursing broken bones and a punctured lungs in the infirmary. The attending stormtroopers had been incinerated outright. By contrast a few scars and some singed hair ought to be the least of her worries.

Presently, the current source of her stress was elaborating on his so-called offer:

"The attack was meant for me, I assure you. In that regard, I'll see that you get the best care the Empire has available. However," and here hisvoice vibrated with silken menace, "It has come to my attention that the people of Lothal believe...differently." something in his words made her heart hitch, but again, he didn't give her the chance to inquire. "Some have taken it into their heads that these rebels meant to kill you, rather than me. You are beloved on this planet, it seems."

Maketh managed a nod.

"I...dislike this deception." the Blade continued with a grimace, "But it doesn't change the fact that you _were_ caught in the attack." Again those golden eyes seared through her. "As such, the Empire has taken it upon itself to broadcast the entire ordeal across the planet. At this point, trying to refute the story would simply prove counterproductive. Couple with Pryce's death there was a vacuum of power." That cutting gaze scissored into her very soul, stilling her breath. "One I took it upon myself to fill. With you."

Surely he wasn't about to-

"Henceforth you are the governor of Lothal."

The sheer shock of what he'd just said rolled over her in a wave.

It was too much, too soon; she'd had responsibility enough as a mere minister, to find herself thrust into the position vacated by Pryce threatened to overwhelm her altogether. This...she wasn't ready. Wasn't prepared. Yet one look at those blazing orbs told her such a refusal would be ill-taken by her guest. Instead she searched once more for the shattered scraps of her courage and willed herself to meet that forsaken gaze. Rather than the anger she'd expected, she found a glimmer of sympathy lurking within that wretched gaze.

"Why me?" she croaked.

"Because you're a good person." came the reply. "Better than me at any rate."

...I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean." how could she possible be _better_ than this specter of death?

Perhaps sensing her burning need for answers, the young Sith clicked his tongue and fixed her with an exasperated look.

"This life...it follows you." those haunting orbs took on a distant expression, and suddenly she felt as though he were no longer with but rather somewhere terribly far away. "It _clings_ to you, infecting everyone who comes close."

"I'm afraid I don't see where you're going with this-

"Yes, you do." the young man interjected harshly. "Evil is evil. Lesser greater, middling, makes no difference. The degree is arbitrary, the definition is blurred. If I'm to choose between one evil or another, I'd rather not choose at all. So I chose you. Not just for Lothal, but for the good of the Empire. Kallus is too proud, too ambitious for this post, and I have plans for him. Nor would I have Aresko or Grint in such a position. They are petty at best, cruel at worst. As such, they will be executed, leaving you as the best alternative. Now, then...

In a single fluid motion he stood, though the act nearly sent her skittering back. But there was no strike, no attack to be feared.

Only simply, silent anger.

"In a few hours the Rebels will either be in your custody or driven from this system altogether." The Blade informed her primly, cloak sweeping behind him. "I've laid a trap for them; taken two of their comrades and laid down a challenge I'm sure they'll accept. One way or another, this will be over come morning. Now that you're in charge of Lothal in the interim, I felt I should at least inform you of this. If anything unexpected transpires or anyone tries to assail your new position, you may contact me at your leisure. I've let my information on your desk. Now, with that said, I bid you good evening, Governor. I wish you good fortune in the wars to come."

With a flowing bow, he made for the door.

...why go to such lengths for me, my lord? I'm just a lowly bureaucrat."

If he was at all displeased by the title, he did little to show it.

"I am your ally in this. Nothing more, nothing less."

Something about that quiet resolve soothed the anxiety that had taken root in her heart. It wasn't relief, not quite, but it was something. He would've been well within his rights to kill her, yet he hadn't. Instead he'd given her the one thing she'd never expected; certainly A part of her would always fear him-and how could she not-but his offer of assistance proved almost more than she could hope to bear. It made her wonder if perhaps she truly could make a difference here, a change, not simply for Lothal, but the greater galaxy itself. Strange. How could someone inspire such hope, yet also impose that kind of fear?

...just who are you?"

The young Blade went still.

A blazing eye reappeared over his shoulder.

"I am what I have always been, Governor. The solution."

* * *

 _(...Several Hours Later...)_

* * *

A storm was brewing.

Thunder rolled through stricken skies like wildfire across the plains, clawed fingers of white lightning reaching out to encompass all within their grasp. Wind lashed against the long grass, pursued by sheets of pounding rain that drove everything clean before them like a great roaring tide. The air felt charged, ready to implode at the slightest provocation. Even the very earth seemed to tremble underfoot, as though the soil itself were trying to flee in the face of the oncoming devastation.

If it was an omen, it was a bad one, Kanan mused.

Though the worst of the storm was muffled against the Ghost's hull-and didn't it feel strange not having Hera in the pilot's chair!-the tension the deluge brought with it was not; with each passing moment he felt his pulse ramp ever higher, a silent reminder of how close they'd come to oblivion. Escaping the storm would be a near thing indeed; he half-suspected that was why the dark-sider had demanded that they meet here, on the outskirts of civilization. Bad enough that half the planet had turned against him-now he felt a though they were racing headlong to their doom.

Something had irrevocably changed in the Force.

There could be no going back, not now.

No matter how he might wish to.

Even now he wondered if he'd done the right thing. It had been so tempting to lash out and strike a blow against the Empire. Did that mean he'd fallen? No, he still believed firmly in the light, in their mission, in all that they'd been doing. When they'd received word that an emissary of the Empire was coming here, to Lothal, something in him had jumped at the chance. Ezra and Sabine didn't need much in the way of convincing; both were more than eager to take the fight to the Empire after all they'd suffered. Zebb, certainly. Perhaps that was foolish of them. Arrogant, even. Now Hera and Chopper had paid for that most dearly.

The message had been painstakingly blunt, the place of their meeting even more so.

 _"I have her, Jedi. Meet me at these coordinates if you want to see her again."_

 _~Blade._

A threat left un-implied, yet still weighted all the same. The mere presence of the Ghost itself, marred from the brief battle that had taken place within, served as yet another reminder. Everyone knew the fate that awaited them should they fail. If this was a Sith Lord and not an Inquisitor as he feared...did they stand a chance against him? He'd bested the Grand Inquisitor to be sure, but the dark presence pressing against his temples threatened to overwhelm him before the battle truly even began.

 **"Yes. Come to me,"** it crooned at him softly, seductive in its promise of battle. **"Come to me and meet your fate."**

Steeling himself against it, the warrior began to recited the Jedi Code to himself, willing his frayed nerves to calm themselves.

 _"There is no emotion there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the force-_

"He's down there somewhere, isn't he?"

Ezra's bitter snarl cut through his mantra like a hot knife through butter, painfully jerking the fugitive Jedi back to the present. Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Kanan reluctantly turned to meet his gaze. Even then, he found himself unprepared for the sheer intensity of his apprentice's gaze. His emotions were a tangled knot in the force, blazing white-hot to the touch. Of course he was angry, they all were, and he had every right to be. That Blade had assaulted their home and taken two members of their family. But this, this was...

"If he's hurt her...I'll kill him."

...why did the Force feel so intense?

"Ezra," stretching out from his chair, the elder Jedi laid a palm upon the padawan's shoulder. "Revenge is not the Jedi way."

"And why not?!" the boy railed and flailed, slapping his hand aside. "Why shouldn't we put him down?! That was your plan in the first place, wasn't it?!"

Something deep inside him balked at the sudden vitriol, but again, he walked back the urge to snap at his student. He did, however, bristle at the insinuation that _this_ had been his plan. This...it had all gone wrong. Trying to strike a blow against the Empire by killing one of its best agents but the information had been too good to pass up. Now he wondered if it had been deliberately leaked by someone in the upper echelons of Imperial intelligence solely for the sake of fostering this conflict. Intel like this, it had to come from the very top, if not-

Belatedly, he realized Ezra was still expecting an answer.

"Look," he began patiently, "If I'd known he'd go after Hera and Chopper, I never would have-

"Kid's right." a gruff voice seconded. "If we have a shot, I say we take it."

Leave it to Zeb to chime in with his two cents.

"And I suppose Sabine agrees with-

 _Heat._

It came out of nowhere; like a breath of searing air brushing against the back of his neck, so too did the former Jedi feel himself shudder, their argument all but forgotten. He saw it then; a wedge-shaped craft on the outskirts of the storm. Black as night, he would've missed it altogether in the gloom were it not for the circle of freshly lit flares surrounding it. Sputtering in the rain, they nevertheless gave off enough light to signify their presence. Lightning bloomed across the sky and he glimpsed a pair of figure below; one descending the ramp at a brisk walk, frog-marching his captive before him. In that fleeting glimpse of light, he beheld her face.

"Hera!"

Moments flew by in a blur as he guided the Ghost into the landing zone-stifling the urge to blast the Sith's ship into bits-and settled into a jerky halt. Some instinct in him warned him to keep the engines warm rather than deactivate them completely, one he yielded to gladly. Still, he all but strode-sprinted!-down the ramp, thereby forcing his companions to keep pace with him. Perhaps, had he known what awaited him out there in the storm, he might not have been so eager.

The shadow waited for him.

Though his face was hidden from the naked eye, he made no such effort to conceal himself in the Force; his body burned like a crimson beacon, harsh and determined. The telltale bulge at his shoulders warned of light armor burgeoning beneath the black cloak, suggesting this newcomer was more agile than he seemed. Worse still, the mismatched pair of cylinders dangling at either side of his belt confirmed his suspicions. This wasn't some random Inquisitor, or a bounty hunter fore hire. Through the heat that coiled and wrapped around his frame, he radiated a strange, almost manic energy.

With a flourish the man peeled back his hood, exposing a warm and affable face with eyes the color of rusted gold.

"Ah, and you must be the Rebels." he was polite, if nothing else. "We meet at last. I apologize for the weather; with luck we'll have concluded our business before the worst hits."

Zeb growled, low and deep in his throat.

"What makes you think you'll be leaving alive, bub?"

"Quiet, you." two fingers flicked dismissively towards the hulking alien. "The big boys are talking."

It was a rare thing for Kanan to see his old friend incandescent with rage, but somehow, the Sith had managed just that.

"Why you-?!"

A cursory glance flicked away and past him, towards the still-open ramp. After a moment's consideration, those serene orbs drifted towards the lone visible turret. Watched it shift towards him, ever so slightly. If he was at all concerned by the implicit threat of having a turbolaser trained on him, he did little to show it. Stretching out his senses towards the Sith's ship, Kanan found himself momentarily alarmed; not only by the presence he felt within the blond's vessel, but the steely resolve of _his_ gunner awaiting him.

 _'Wait...is that...a clone?'_ he balked, momentarily at a loss. _'Didn't think any were still around..._

Sensing his brief bout of uncertainty, the Sith apprentice pounced like a krayt dragon.

"Will your Mandalorian friend be joining us this evening?"

Behind him, Ezra bristled ever so slightly.

 _"You no good scruffy nerf herder-_

 **"Speaking of which!"**

A mangled metal missile flew from the hold of his ship and caromed off Zeb's chest. Unprepared for the sudden impact, the Lasat scrabbled wildly at what he no doubt perceived to be an explosive device of some sort, only to realize said bomb was squawking at him in a series of muffled squawks and mechanical gurgles. Holding the scrap at arms length, the fighter belatedly realized just what-who!-he was holding. Naturally, it helped when said scrap took it upon itself to prod him in the nose with a battered arm. An angry littany of muffled droid-speak followed.

"Chopper?!"

"You can have him! Free of charge!" an irritated growl greeted him for his efforts. "Do you have any _idea_ how insufferable that droid is?! Its a miracle I didn't scrap him hours ago! How you even tolerate that blasted astromech is beyond me! He must drive you mad!"

Despite Kanan's best efforts, the ghost of a smile plucked at his lips.

"You have absolutely no idea."

The he saw Hera.

 _Truly saw her._

Rather than the fear and anger he'd expected, her expression was tense and guarded. She'd changed little since he'd seen her last, yet in the same vein he felt something had been irrevocably altered between them. Her thoughts, once a calm pool of serenity, were now a roiling sea in the Force, one he couldn't decipher. Worse, she was standing _behind_ the Sith and unbound at that. Why? Kanan _knew_ her, indeed, it could be said that he knew her far better than most. She could've bolted back to their side at any moment, yet something kept her from fleeing. What? Why was she looking at him like that.

"Why didn't you listen to me, Kanan?" she muttered forlornly. "You never listen!"

"Hera, what are you talking about?"

"She knows the truth." the sith replied simply. "If you had just let me be, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Kanan's hand swept low, drifting to his lightsaber.

"What have you done to her?"

"I have treated her wounds and revealed the truth to her." the blond repeated his point once more as he raised his hand and voice to be heard over the storm, crossing the former against his chest. "She hasn't suffered in my care and will be returned to you once our business is concluded. So I swear upon my honor."

Zeb scoffed.

"Honor? You? Don't buy that for one bloody-

 _"Cody."_

Funny how a single word could provoke such a reaction; in the time it took the Sith to utter a single syllable, his vessel's turret had already turned toward the alien. The turbolaser barked harshly, venting a bolt of green plasma wide of his position, scorcing a distant patch of grass in the distance. A warning click informed them of its target; the barrels within humming as fresh plasma cooked inside the battery. That name. He knew that name, but no, it couldn't be, surely not...

"Insult me again Lasat, and you'll be fired upon." a note of warning crept into the young man's voice. "I'm trying to be civil here. You would be unwise to mistake my mercy for stupidity. Now, then."

Without missing a beat, he pivoted, fixing Kanan with his burning gaze.

"And you must Caleb Dume, or so I presume." the Blade tilted his head, regarding him as one would a long lost friend. "I'm sorry, its Kanan now, isn't it? The Grand Inquisitor kept quite the comprehensive report on you. His files passed to me after his...well, we both know what happened to him now, don't we? Still," Perplexed, he regarded him anew. "I must admit your victory over him was unexpected, but not unwelcome. He always was too cocksure for his own good. Well done." There was no mockery to be found there in his words, only quiet contemplation. "You'd be wise to surrender." a pause followed as the younger man took his measure. "But you won't, will you? They never do."

A mistake, then.

Ezra opened his big mouth.

"Who are you supposed to be?" he challenged. "Some new Inqui-

As quickly as it had come, so too did the young man's sullen smile vanish.

A pair of gloved fingers rose, clenched themselves into a black claw, and the boy's voice stilled in his throat. Kanan felt the twisted grasp of the dark side mere moments before the young rebel's feet flew from the floor, his body crashing back against the weathered hull of the Ghost. Twin hands flew to his windpipe in vain; even as he clawed at his neck the vice subsided, leaving his apprentice to tumble to the ground, gasping for air. By the time he'd reached his side, the assault had long since ceased, replaced by stifling silence.

"You'll find I'm much more than a mere Inquisitor, boy." the words emerged a soft rumble, echoed by distant thunder. "Now, let the grownups talk and hold your tongue. Or it will be held for you."

Once more Kanan found himself the focus of that razor stare; once more he felt that feathery presence probe against his defenses.

"Now, where were we?" Pearly white teeth flashed in the gloom. "Ah, yes. Negotiations. Tell me, Jedi, what do you think of the Empire?"

It was such an absurd inquiry; one Kanan hadn't expected, let alone been prepared to answer. No, more than that. It seemed almost...naive. Painfully so?

"No response? Fair enough, then. "You care too much for your pilot, here." it was not a question. "Out of respect for her tenacity if nothing else, I will give you a chance."

Smiling, he urged Hera forward.

"Take her, then."

That was...not the response he'd expected, but he welcomed her all the same. Icy green eyes regarded him coldly, and he flinched away from contact with her.

"Hera, I-

"Get on the damn ship."

Alas, his pride couldn't let that slide.

"Whoever you are, you must be joking if you think we'll fall for a trick like-

"No tricks, Jedi. My master would have me execute you on the spot." he began slowly, choosing his words with care. "If its all the same to you, I'd rather not. Here's my offer; in exchange for your lives, you will leave Lothal and never return." the heat left the warrior's voice then, replaced by an icy apathy. "In your absence the planet will have time to heal. Order will be restored. Should I find you on this planet again-and make no mistake, I will know if you renege on our deal-then I will eradicate your cell to a man without mercy. Or you may join us, and together, we'll accomplish what neither of us could alone. This is the choice that I offer you. Choose now, or draw your blades."

"You...you actually think we'll turn our backs on the people here?"

"Don't be foolish." a rare emotion entered his voice, one Kanan recognized as sincere belief. "Your ragtag band can't stand against the Empire, but together, we can make it better, not from without, but within. Now then, my dear Rebels, I'll ask you this but once...

Golden eyes narrowed to slits.

 _"Choose."_

"NEVER!"

An arm snapped up and fired.

"Ezra, no!"

The blaster bolt struck the Blade in his open palm, ramming headlong into his seemingly unprotected chest. Much to the boy's dismay, the Sith took the blast without so much as flinching; as they looked on waves of disruptive energy flowed over him, leaving him unharmed. No offense was taken-though he could have easily done so-rather, the dark-sider brushed off the blast with punitive ease and arched an eyebrow. Something trembled in the force and the young man found himself abruptly divested of his weapon as an invisible fist shattered his grasp and hauled it away.

 _Zzip!_

"Your saber has a blaster function?" Naruto remarked with morbid fascination, eyes flashing as he gazed upon the boy's treasured tool. "Fascinating. Remind me to pick your brain after this. Assuming there is an after. But you've made your choice." With a grunt, he cast the weapon back to the apprentice, humming softly as the lad fumbled with the hilt. "Ezra Bridger, is it? When I am finished here, I want _you_ to be alive." a cold smile split his face. "To know that I succeeded where you failed." Wordlessly, he spread his arms wide towards the storm. "You've made your choice, then. _Let the Force witness it!"_

In a flash, his hands snapped to his sides.

With a vicious snap-hiss, those mismatching blades ignited, and it was with a start that Kanan _recognized_ one of them. That hilt was unique, signature in its singular look. Its blazing blue blade still thrummed with the life of its former owner even as its new master gripped the metal tight in his grasp. Shaak Ti's blade. The sight of it sent a silent shiver of dread shooting up his spine, choking the challenge he'd thought to shout.

Those blazing orbs found him first among the crew, wide and brimming with suppressed anger and...disappointment?

Too late, Kanan ignited his blade; by then the storm finally reached them with a thunderous crack.

So loud was the toll that he nearly missed the Sith's furious declaration of exultation.

"I bested a Jedi Master and lived to tell the tale. Lets see how _you_ lot fare!"

Then he fell upon them in a storm of blades.

 **A/N: Yes, we've gotten a deeper glimpse at the lure of the Dark side here.**

 **In a word, its insidious. It corrupts you, twists you, makes you a monster. Only the strong-willed can resist its siren call; you must be stronger still to USE it and not succumb. Naruto's at the tipping point, he may reach that breaking point sooner rather than later; not out of fear, or because he'll be attacked from multiple points at once and find himself forced to resort to lethal methods. Make no mistake, once you go over the edge its very hard to go back to the light, moreso if you barely knew it to begin with.**

 **We get to see Thrawn, Ahsoka, and Kota next chapter, and ooooooooh boy that's gonna be a doozy.**

 **So in the Immortal Words of the Emperor himself...**

 **...yes, use your emotions! Give in! REVIEW!**

 **And of course, enjoy the previews!**

 ** _Potential_ previews, that is.**

 **BIG events coming up!**

 **Which do you like?**

 **(Previews!)**

 _Something snapped._

 _In that instant, any semblance of restraint vanished._

 _"ENOUGH!"_

 _His foe never saw the blade that took his arms; one moment he was lining up for a fresh shot, the next a searing wave of heat cut across his elbows._

* * *

 _Rex felt a muscle jump in his jaw._

 _"You've got some nerve coming here, Cody."_

 _"What can I say?" the blaster didn't waver. "Good soldiers follow orders. Now, if you'd hear me out..._

* * *

 _"What did you do to them?!"_

 _A snarl was Ahsoka's only warning._

 _"Ah. I see. Misdirected passion. Such a waste."_

 _Then a torrent of force lightning ripped her from her perch._

* * *

 _"I'm asking for your help, Admiral."_

 _Thrawn's face proved a study of contrasts._

 _"Fascinating. You're willing to cast aside your pride so easily. Why?"_

 _...I'm hunting a Jedi._ _He took someone...very dear to me. Now give me your answer!"_

* * *

 _"You are unwise to lower your defenses!"_

* * *

 _Their eyes met and t_ _he very fabric of the universe shifted._

 _She knew not how she had found herself here; in this time, this era._

 _With skin red as blood the twi'lek was truly a sight to behold; even without the flowing tattoos encasing her body. If that hadn't been concerning enough, the searing blade in her grasp was. The crimson lightsaber immediately drew Naruto's attention. Less so the fact that it was currently jarring against his blade. Golden eyes so much like his own blazed back at him, wide with anger, but also surprise. She'd seen him and reacted, striking out before he could think to speak. Of course he'd defended himself. He'd have been a fool not to._

 _"Who are you?"_

 _...Talon."_

 **R &R~! =D**


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